The  Publication  Committee  of  the  Caxton  Club  certifies 
that  this  is  one  of  an  edition  of  two  hundred  copies  -printed 
on  American  hand-made  paper,  and  three  copies  printed 
on  Japanese  vellum.  The  printing  was  done  from  type 
which  has  been  distributed. 


WAKEFIELD'S   HISTORY 

OF  THE 

BLACK   HAWK  WAR 


WAKEFIELD'S  HISTORY 

OF  THE 

BLACK   HAWK  WAR 


A  REPRINT  OF  THE   FIRST  EDITION  BY  JOHN  A.  \\fAKE- 
FIELD,  ESQUIRE,  FROM  THE  PRESS  OF  CALVIN 
GOUDY,    JACKSONVILLE,    ILLINOIS,     1834; 
WITH  THIRTEEN  PHOTOGRAVURE 
ILLUSTRATIONS,  AND  PREF 
ACE  AND  NOTES 


BY 

FRANK  EVERETT  STEVENS 


CHICAGO 
THE  CAXTON  CLUB 

MCMVIII 


w 

WISE 


COPYRIGHT,    1907 

BY 
THE  CAXTON  CLUB 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

BLACK  HAWK          .....  Frontispiece 

MAJOR  JOHN  A.  WAKEFIELD           ....  8 

COLONEL  HENRY  DODGE          .....  28 

FORT  ARMSTRONG            ......  32 

COLONEL  HENRY  GRATIOT      .....  38 

BRIGADIER-GENERAL  SAMUEL  WHITESIDE         .          .  40 

CAPTAIN  ADAM  W.  SNYDER            ....  58 

MAJOR  JAMES  W.  STEPHENSON       ....  70 

DIXON'S  FERRY       .......  72 

MAJOR  JOHN  DEMENT    .         .         .         .         .         .74 

CHIEF  SHA-BO-NA             ......  76 

BAD  AXE  BATTLE-GROUND      .         .         .         .  130 

GENERAL  HENRY  ATKINSON    .         .         .         .         .158 


722829 


JOHN  ALLEN  WAKEFIELD. 


JOHN  ALLEN  WAKEFIELD,  second  son  of 
William  and  Diana  (Varner)  Wakefield,  was  born 
February  22,  1797,  at  Pendleton,  South  Carolina. 
The  father  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  of  Scotch- 
Irish  ancestry.  The  mother  (who  died  at  Quincy, 
Illinois,  at  the  age  of  nearly  107  years)  was  a  native  of 
South  Carolina,  of  Scotch-Irish  and  French  Huguenot 
ancestry.  The  father,  William,  a  man  of  education, 
spent  most  of  his  manhood  as  a  teacher. 

John  Allen  received  his  name  in  honor  of  Major- 
General  John  Allen  of  Virginia,  who  was  a  cousin  to 
Diana  Varner  Wakefield. 

When  he  was  seven  years  old,  John's  parents  moved 
to  middle  Tennessee,  where  they  remained  but  a  short 
time,  and  then  pushed  on  to  Barren  County,  Kentucky. 
In  1808,  the  family  removed  to  Illinois  Territory,  set 
tling  where  Lebanon,  St.  Clair  County,  is  now  located. 

During  the  first  two  years  of  life  in  Illinois,  and 
while  the  family  was  "  forted,"  owing  to  the  hostility  of 
the  Indians,  privations  without  number  were  endured. 
The  War  of  1812-14,  which  followed,  was  particularly 
aggressive  and  sanguinary  in  Illinois.  Militia  com 
panies,  organized  for  campaign  and  scouting  duties, 
constantly  patroled  the  state. 

Wakefield,  though  but  sixteen  years  of  age,  mani 
fested  an  unusual  aptitude  for  scouting  service,  and 
to  gratify  a  passion  for  that  service,  he  enlisted  in  the 
company  of  Captain  Jacob  Short,  in  which  he  served 

[7] 


8     JOHN    ALLEN     WAKEFIELD 

"froVn  February  27  to  June  9,  1813.  Afterward  he 
.  served  as  special  scout  for  General  Howard,  earning 
/•'•.  •  the.Mghesi  praises  from  that  faithful  officer,  particularly 
as  the  bearer  of  dispatches,  later  called  "expresses/' 
One  of  his  trips  was  fraught  with  such  peril  that  his 
father  applied  for  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  to  take  him 
from  it ;  but  learning  of  the  issuance  of  the  writ,  he 
stole  away  in  the  night  and  crossed  the  Mississippi  in 
a  canoe,  swimming  his  horse  behind.  The  trip  was 
made  in  answer  to  a  call  from  General  Russell,  then  at 
St.  Louis,  for  a  volunteer  to  carry  dispatches  to  Vin- 
cennes  (called  in  the  vernacular  of  the  day  Post  Vin- 
sari),  through  a  trackless  wilderness  of  175  miles, 
swarming  with  hostile  Indians.  It  proved  as  perilous 
as  had  been  anticipated,  but  he  made  it  safely,  return 
ing  by  another  route.  One  night  he  camped  in  a  sink 
hole.  The  following  morning  was  foggy.  A  war 
party  of  unusual  size  was  heard  approaching.  His 
horse  became  nervous  and  liable  at  any  moment  to 
attract  attention ;  but  he  hastily  threw  a  blanket  over 
its  head,  and  the  party  passed  within  a  few  feet  of 
the  sink-hole,  without  detecting  him.  The  dangers 
and  struggles  of  the  Illinois  frontiersman  during  those 
perilous  days  cannot  be  magnified,  and  Wakefield  had 
his  full  share  of  them. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  he  went  to  Cincinnati,  where 
he  studied  medicine  diligently  for  a  considerable  period, 
afterward  going  to  St.  Louis  to  finish  his  studies.  But 
it  seems  that  once  in  possession  of  his  diploma,  he 
decided  medicine  did  not  offer  him  the  field  antici 
pated,  and  at  once  turned  to  studying  for  the  bar, 
to  which  he  was  admitted  when  in  his  twenty-first 
year.  His  examination  was  conducted  at  Vandalia, 
where  he  settled  and  remained  until  1837,  during  the 
last  three  years  of  which  time  he  saw  much  of  Abraham 
Lincoln.  As  an  outgrowth  of  an  intimacy  formed  in 


JOHN    ALLEN    WAKEFIELD     9 

the  Black  Hawk  campaign,  Mr.  Lincoln,  while  a  mem 
ber  of  the  legislature,  lived  with  Mr.  Wakefield  in 
Vandalia. 

In  1 818  Wakefield  was  married  to  Eliza  Thompson, 
a  native  of  Bourbon  County,  Kentucky,  daughter  of 
Abram  Thompson  and  Elizabeth  (Brown)  Thompson. 

One  of  the  most  important  services  rendered  by 
Wakefield,  and  one  which  should  command  the  re 
spect  of  every  Illinoisan,  was  his  determined  stand 
against  the  introduction  of  slavery  in  the  State  of 
Illinois,  attempted  during  the  administration  of  Gov 
ernor  Edward  Coles.  The  legislature  which  convened 
at  Vandalia,  December  2,  1822,  and  adjourned  Feb 
ruary  1 8,  1823,  passed  a  resolution  by  infamous 
means,  calling  for  a  constitutional  convention,  at  which 
an  amendment  was  expected  to  be  framed  which  would 
permit  slavery  in  the  State.  For  sixteen  months  the 
young  State  was  a  battle-ground,  during  which  the 
anti-convention  men  were  made  targets  for  every  man 
ner  of  insult  and  assault.  Wakefield,  being  a  ready 
speaker  and  writer,  plunged  into  the  campaign  with 
great  vigor,  paying  his  own  expenses  while  canvassing 
the  State,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  witnessing  the  rout 
of  the  slavery  or  convention  men  by  a  decisive  victory. 
For  his  services  during  that  campaign,  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  next  (fourth)  House  of  Representa 
tives,  which  sat  from  November  15,  1824,  to  Janu 
ary  1 8,  1825,  and  from  January  2  to  January  18, 
1826. 

From  "The  Vandalia  Whig"  of  July  3,  1834,  I 
notice  that  he  was  a  candidate  for  Representative 
against  Robert  Blackwell  and  Colonel  Samuel  Hous 
ton,  but  Mr.  Blackwell  was  elected. 

When  Governor  Reynolds  called  for  volunteers  to 
drive  out  Black  Hawk  in  1832,  Wakefield  enlisted  in 
the  company  of  Captain  John  Dement.  It  was  mustered 


io    JOHN    ALLEN    WAKEFIELD 

into  service  April  2Oth,  but  with  the  entire  army 
was  mustered  out  May  28th,  after  the  unfortunate 
Stillman's  battle.  Neither  Wakefield  nor  Captain 
Dement's  company  participated  in  Stillman's  battle. 
When  a  new  levy  of  troops  reached  Dixon's  Ferry, 
Wakefield  was  found  enlisted  in  the  company  of 
Captain  William  L.  D.  Ewing.  Ewing,  being  elected 
Major  of  a  spy  battalion,  served  as  captain  but  a  day 
or  so,  and  Captain  Samuel  Huston  (or  Houston) 
succeeded  in  command. 

First  appointed  surgeon,  by  reason  of  his  medical 
knowledge,  Wakefield  was  speedily  transferred  to  the 
scouting  service,  in  which  he  continued  to  the  end  of 
the  war.  For  his  efficient  work  he  was  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  Major.  At  the  Bad  Axe  battle,  fought  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Bad  Axe  River,  he  received  a  slight 
wound.  As  that  engagement  finished  the  war  and  the 
fighting  career  of  Black  Hawk,  the  army  marched  over 
land  to  Dixon's  Ferry,  where  Wakefield  was  discharged 
by  Lieutenant  Robert  Anderson,  August  16,  1832. 

The  following  year,  Major  Wakefield  wrote  the  his 
tory  of  that  war,  which  is  hereafter  set  forth.  Written 
when  fresh  in  his  memory,  and  from  his  daily  journal 
kept  without  interruption  from  its  beginning  to  its  end, 
this  first  history  of  the  war  must  be  accorded  accuracy 
as  well  as  general  interest.  Inasmuch  as  the  records 
of  the  War  Department  do  not  disclose  the  names  of 
many  of  the  officers,  the  value  of  the  record  which 
Wakefield's  book  supplied  is  inconceivable. 

The  first  edition  ofthe  book  was  published  in  Jackson 
ville,  Illinois,  in  1834,  by  Calvin  Goudy.  Its  dimen 
sions  are  7  by  4^  inches.  It  contains  blank  leaf,  title- 
page,  certificate  of  copyright,  four  pages  of  "preface," 
four  pages  of  "contents"  (all  of  which  are  numbered 
as  follows :  iii  not  numbered,  iv,  v,  vi,  vii,  viii,  ix, 
and  x),  142  pages  of  text,  beginning  with  page  i  (not 


JOHN    ALLEN    WAKEFIELD     n 

numbered),  and  followed  from  2  consecutively  to  and 
including  142,  and  two  blank  leaves.  The  binding 
was  made  in  boards  with  mottled  covers,  calf  back,  and 
red  leather  label  stamped  in  gilt  with  the  words,  "Black 
Hawk  War."  The  edges  were  stained  a  canary  color. 

A  second  edition,  thoroughly  revised  and  very  much 
enlarged,  was  published  at  Cincinnati  in  the  year  1836. 
Only  300  copies  were  delivered,  the  others  being 
destroyed  by  a  fire  which  burned  the  establishment  and 
its  contents.  Copies  of  the  latter  edition  are  so  rare 
that  not  one  has  been  offered  for  sale  for  at  least  fifteen 
years. 

The  Black  Hawk  War  having  made  the  people  of 
southern  Illinois  acquainted  with  the  fertility  and  rich 
ness  of  the  northern  part  of  the  State  and  the  southern 
part  of  Wisconsin,  a  series  of  northward  migrations  set 
in.  In  1837  Major  Wakefield  joined  in  the  hegira, 
and  settled  in  Jo  Daviess  County,  where  he  remained, 
with  the  exception  of  the  years  1839  and  1840,  spent 
in  Carroll  County,  until  1846,  when  he  crossed  over 
into  Iowa  County,  Wisconsin,  and  there  remained 
until  the  spring  of  1849.  In  that  year  he  removed  to 
St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  and  was  elected  its  first  city  judge. 

The  winters  of  Minnesota  were  so  severe  that  he 
moved  again  southward  to  Allamakee  County,  Iowa, 
in  1851,  where  he  lived  until  1854.  Then  he  went 
to  Kansas  to  enjoy  its  milder  climate,  and  settled  at 
the  point  which  subsequently  became  Lawrence,  whence 
not  more  than  half  a  dozen  families  had  preceded  him. 
Becoming  a  landholder,  he  remained  at  that  place 
until  the  day  of  his  death,  June  18,  1873. 

Upon  the  history  of  Kansas  Wakefield  left  an  indel 
ible  imprint.  There  the  question  of  slavery  had  to 
be  fought  as  he  had  fought  it  in  Illinois  thirty  years 
before.  In  his  new  home  the  struggle  was  much  longer, 
and  he  suffered  the  loss  of  much  of  the  considerable 


12    JOHN    ALLEN     WAKEFIELD 

wealth  which  he  had  accumulated  in  Minnesota  and 
Iowa.  But  his  fortunes  improving,  he  became  a  strong 
factor  in  moulding  Kansas  into  a  rich  commonwealth, 
and  his  declining  years  were  prosperous. 

In  the  struggle  in  Kansas  with  the  slavery  element, 
he  was  made  the  first  free-state  candidate  for  delegate 
to  Congress,  for  which  office  he  received  three  fourths 
of  the  legal  votes  cast  at  the  election.  But  it  will  be 
remembered,  that  following  the  hint  of  Senator  Atchi- 
son  of  Missouri,  "When  you  reside  within  one  day 
of  the  Territory,  you  can  send  five  hundred  of  your 
young  men  who  will  vote  in  favor  of  your  institutions," 
voters  were  poured  into  Kansas  from  Missouri,  and 
the  candidate  of  the  slave-holding  interests  was  elected 
by  an  enormous  majority.  Indeed,  he  received  eleven 
hundred  votes  more  than  the  number  of  legal  voters 
in  the  Territory  three  months  afterward. 

Wakefield  was  elected  State  Treasurer  under  the 
Topeka  constitution  which  he  had  helped  to  frame,  and 
as  chairman  of  the  judiciary  committee  of  the  first  and 
many  succeeding  legislatures,  was  largely  responsible 
for  the  State's  excellent  code  of  laws.  Lawrence  was  the 
storm-center  of  those  perilous  times.  During  the  fierce 
"  border  troubles,"  when  the  Territory  was  constantly 
invaded  by  large  bodies  of  armed  men  from  Missouri, 
Wakefield  was  constantly  the  leader  of  the  free-state 
settlers,  and  for  his  courage  and  pertinacity  in  opposing 
the  slavery  forces  was  made  the  principal  target  for 
their  attacks.  Just  west  of  Lawrence  he  had  built  a 
large  house  and  many  substantial  out-buildings,  but 
the  invaders,  on  the  night  of  September  i,  1856, 
fired  and  burned  every  building  on  the  place.  The  fine 
library  in  the  house  and  two  manuscripts  ready  for 
publication,  together  with  140  acres  of  wheat  and  oats  in 
the  stack,  were  destroyed.  That  disaster  involved  a  loss 
of  $  1 0,000.  The  attack  was  so  sudden  and  unexpected, 


JOHN    ALLEN     WAKEFIELD     13 

that  the  escape  of  the  family  was  nothing  short  of 
miraculous. 

Judge  Wakefield,  as  he  was  called  the  latter  years  of 
his  life,  died  at  Lawrence  June  18, 1873,  in  his  seventy- 
seventh  year. 

To  conclude,  it  should  be  added  that  his  wife  Eliza 
died  in  1871.  From  the  union  twelve  children  were 
born,  eight  of  whom  reached  middle  age  or  more. 
Lysander  and  Alvin,  first  and  second  sons  respectively, 
died  at  Vandalia  in  childhood.  George  Washington, 
the  third  son,  lost  his  life  by  an  accident  in  California 
when  about  45  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Willard, 
eldest  daughter,  died  December  7,  1903,  in  Los 
Angeles,  California,  at  the  age  of  82.  Martha  Ann 
Wakefield  died  near  Lawrence  in  1855.  Mrs.  Emily 
Terry,  third  daughter,  resides  at  present  in  the  city  of 
Chicago.  Mrs.  Eliza  J.  Snyder,  fourth  daughter,  died 
at  Lawrence,  December  7,  1902.  William  H.  T. 
Wakefield,  fourth  son,  to  whom  I  am  under  obligation 
for  the  facts  herein  stated,  is  a  resident  of  Mound  City, 
Kansas.  John  Allen,  Jr.,  died  July  31,  1865,  aged  29 
years.  Thomas  J.,  the  youngest,  was  accidentally 
killed  at  Denver,  Colorado,  November  i,  1890,  by  the 
fall  of  a  derrick.  Two  daughters,  Sarah  and  Diana, 
died  in  infancy. 

FRANK  EVERETT  STEVENS. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  WAR 


BETWEEN 


THE  UNITED  STATES  AND  THE  SAC  AND  FOX  NA 
TIONS  OF  INDIANS,  AND  PAETS  OF  OTHER 
DISAFFECTED  TKIBES  OF  INDIANS, 


IN   THE  YEARS 


EIGHTEEN  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTY-SEVEN,  THIRTY- 
ONE,  AND  THIRTY-TWO 


BY  JOHN  A.   WAKEFIELD,  ESQ. 


JACKSONVILLE,  ILL. 

PRINTED     BY     CALVIN     GOUDY. 
1834. 


District  of  Illinois,  ss. 

BE  IT  REMEMBERED,  That  on  this  twenty-eighth  day  of 
August,  Anno  Domini  eighteen  hundred  and  thirty-three,  John 
A.  Wakefield,  of  said  district,  hath  deposited  in  this  office  the 
title  of  a  book,  which  is  in  the  words  following,  to  wit:  "History 
of  the  War  between  the  United  States  and  the  Sac  and 
Fox  nations  of  Indians,  and  parts  of  other  disaffected  tribes  of 
Indians,  in  the  years  eighteen  hundred  and  twenty-seven,  thirty- 
one  and  thirty-two,  by  John  A.  Wakefield,  Esq."  The  right 
whereof  he  claims  as  author,  in  conformity  with  an  act  of  Con 
gress  entitled  "An  act  to  amend  the  several  acts  respecting 
copy  rights." 

A  true  copy.  Attest,  W.  H.  BROWN, 

Clerk  of  the  District  of  Illinois. 


PREFACE. 


IN  presenting  this  small  volume  to  the  world,  the 
author  is  aware  that  he  is  exposing  his  name  to  the 
public  calumny,  by  those  who  are  ready  at  all  times 
to  find  fault;  but  he  hopes  the  candid,  who  will  reflect  a 
moment  on  the  many  difficulties  attending  the  compiling 
such  a  work,  will  be  as  charitable  towards  him,  as  the 
nature  of  the  case  will  admit.  They  must  reflect  that 
the  many  actors  in  the  late  war  have  not  all  the  same 
views  of  things  that  took  place — as  it  is  the  nature  of  man 
to  differ  in  opinions,  and  those  that  were  eye  witnesses 
of  the  events  recorded  in  this  narrative,  (or  history,)  to 
have  different  opinions  from  each  other. 

The  writer  who  traces  events  at  a  remote  period  from 
the  time  they  transpired,  stands  on  more  favorable 
ground,  because  they  are  not  fresh  in  every  one's 
memory,  and  men  are  not  disposed  to  find  so  much  fault. 

But  it  has  been  the  aim  of  the  author  to  track  as  near 
the  truth,  as  his  knowledge  of  the  different  actors,  and 
all  that  were  in  any  way  concerned  in  the  war,  would 
permit.  If  he  is  found  in  error,  it  will  be  an  error  of  the 
head  and  not  of  the  heart. 

But  he  is  aware  that  he  has  not  done  this  subject  that 
justice  which  its  importance  deserves.  But,  as  he  has 
already  observed,  he  hopes  an  honorable  and  patriotic 
people  will  exercise  all  the  charity  that  characterizes  the 
American  people,  and,  more  especially,  to  one  that 
never  attempted  before  to  write  for  the  inspection  of 
an  enlightened  republic. 

[17] 


18  PREFACE 

For  a  history  of  the  expedition  against  the  Indians, 
the  author  has  to  depend  upon  public  record,  and  such 
other  information  as  is  well  authenticated  by  men  that 
can  be  confided  in ;  but  in  the  last  two  campaigns,  the 
author  was  an  eye  witness  to  almost  all  that  he  has  here 
written. 

In  order  to  give  a  full  detail  of  all  the  transactions  and 
relationship  between  those  Indians  and  the  United 
States,  the  author  has  thought  it  would  be  more  satis 
factory  to  give  all  the  treaties  that  ever  were  held  with 
them,  which  commenced  in  eighteen  hundred  and  four. 

Many  false  reports  have  gone  abroad  respecting  the 
lands  of  those  Indians,  representing  that  the  Govern 
ment  has  not  done  strict  justice. 

In  giving  an  account  of  the  frontier  massacres  by  the 
Indians,  the  author  has  to  depend  on  newspaper  infor 
mation;  but  it  is  his  opinion  that  all  that  have  been  found 
upon  record,  which  were  published  in  this  state,  are 
literally  true,  and  may  be  relied  upon  as  facts. 

But,  it  is  not  in  the  power  of  the  author  to  give  an 
account  of  all  the  massacres  that  the  Indians  have  com 
mitted  on  the  frontier,  as  many  were  committed  that 
have  not  been  recorded;  or,  if  they  were,  the  author  has 
not  been  fortunate  enough  to  get  possession  of  them. 

In  giving  the  different  treaties,  the  author  principally 
confines  himself  to  the  Sac  and  Fox  nations : — But,  in 
the  last  treaty  which  has  lately  been  made,  he  will  be 
able  to  give  the  substance,  or  the  whole  of  the  treaty 
with  the  Winnebagoes. 

He  would  be  glad  to  enter  into  a  history  of  the  hos 
tilities  that  took  place  between  the  Winnebagoes  and 
the  United  States,  in  1827,  but  he  has  not  such  docu 
ments  before  him  as  would  justify  a  review  of  it.  And 
he  is  also  well  aware  that  some  more  able  hand  will,  in 
due  time,  give  the  whole  of  the  transactions  of  those 
Indians  a  thorough  investigation  ;  and  that  the  public 


PREFACE  19 

will  not  suffer  by  the  author's  passing  over  the  partic 
ulars  of  that  expedition  against  those  Indians. 

The  author  deems  it  necessary  to  confine  himself  to 
facts,  and  without  some  public  documents,  more  than 
his  own  knowledge,  he  could  not  with  any  propriety, 
enter  into  a  full  history  of  the  transactions  between  the 
United  States  and  those  Indians,  more  than  simply  to 
state,  that  they  made  an  attack  on  some  keel  boats  that 
were  running  on  the  Mississippi,  and  commanded  by 
Captain  Allen  Lindsey,  and  the  general  outline  of  the 
transactions  afterward,  in  bringing  them  to  a  treaty. 

This  was  the  first  difference,  of  any  importance,  that 
took  place  between  the  United  States  and  those  In 
dians,  since  the  war  with  Great  Britain. 

The  author,  in  order  to  show  the  cause  of  difference 
between  the  United  States  and  the  Sac  and  Fox  In 
dians,  thinks  it  best  to  lay  before  the  reader  many  in 
teresting  documents,  consisting  of  letters  and  a  number 
of  depositions,  to  show  the  necessity  of  the  Executive 
in  calling  upon  the  militia  of  the  state  of  Illinois,  to 
protect  its  citizens  : — And  he  flatters  himself  that,  after 
the  perusal  of  those  letters  and  depositions,  none  will 
have  the  hardihood  to  say,  that  Governor  Reynolds 
did  wrong  in  the  course  he  pursued  to  subdue  those 
Indians. 

The  author  takes  more  pains,  and  troubles  the  reader 
with  those  documents  more  than  he  would  have  done, 
if  he  had  not  seen  with  regret,  that  misrepresentations 
have  gone  abroad  respecting  those  Indians. 

He  flatters  himself  that,  after  a  perusal  of  the  differ 
ent  treaties  entered  into  by  the  United  States  and  the 
Sac  and  Fox  Indians,  and  the  many  violations  of  those 
treaties  by  those  Indians,  all  will  justify  the  course 
taken  to  bring  them  to  subjection,  and  restore  peace 
to  our  country, — which  is  the  case  at  this  time: — and 
that  it  could  not  be  done  in  any  other  way  than  a  resort 


20  PREFACE 

to  arms,  as  all  other  means  were  tried,  both  by  General 
Clark,  and  the  different  Indian  Agents;  and  that  with 
a  great  degree  of  forbearance  on  the  part  of  the  Gen 
eral  Government,  which  the  reader  will  plainly  see 
when  he  takes  a  full  view  of  the  many  outrages  and 
depredations  committed  by  those  lawless  savages,  who 
did  everything  except  murder,  before  there  was  a  call 
for  men  to  volunteer  in  defence  of  their  country. 

The  author  wishes  further  to  observe,  that  he  has 
taken  all  the  pains  that  lay  in  his  power,  to  place  the 
different  officers  to  their  proper  command,  and  to  detail 
the  part  they  acted  in  the  war :  But  he  at  the  same 
time  is  well  aware  that  there  may  be  some  officers  whom 
he  may  not  mention,  that  are  deserving  well  of  their 
country ;  on  account  of  not  having  it  in  his  power  to 
get  a  complete  list  of  all  the  mounted  volunteers,  that 
turned  out  in  defence  of  their  country ;  for  many  of 
them  were  stationed  on  the  frontier,  and  did  not  march 
with  the  main  army,  but  performed  important  services 
in  defence  of  the  northern  frontiers ;  as  many  of  the 
citizens  would  have  certainly  been  destroyed  by  the 
Indians,  whose  known  mode  of  warfare,  is  to  steal 
upon  the  helpless  part  of  [the]  community,  at  the  dead 
hour  of  night,  when  there  is  no  chance  of  defence. 

So,  I  consider  that  those  rangers  who  were  placed 
on  the  frontier,  performed  a  high  and  important  ser 
vice,  in  ranging  those  frontiers,  and  protecting  the  law 
ful  settler  in  quietness  at  his  own  fireside,  and  [saving] 
his  wife  and  children  from  becoming  a  prey  to  the  sav 
age  barbarity  of  the  tomahawk  and  scalping  knife. 

THE  AUTHOR. 

VANDALIA,  ILLINOIS,  1833. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Winnebagoes  attack  Captain  Lindsey's  Keel  Boats  in  1827 — 
Lose  two  men  killed  and  several  wounded — General  alarm  in 
the  mining  country — Gov.  Cass  takes  measures  to  punish  them 
—  He  corresponds  with  Gov.  Edwards  —  Gov.  Edwards  sends 
a  regiment  from  the  Northern  counties  to  the  Mines,  under 
Col.  Neale  —  The  people  of  the  Mines  form  themselves  into  a 
corps  of  mounted  volunteers  —  Elect  Gen.  H.  Dodge  their 
commander  —  Gov.  Cass  moves  against  the  Indians  to  the 
portage  of  the  Wisconsin  river — They  sue  for  peace  —  Treaty 
entered  into  —  The  Indians  give  up  the  Red  Bird  as  a  hostage 
for  the  good  behaviour  of  the  rest  of  the  nation  —  He  dies  in 
Jail  —  The  Sac  and  Fox  Indians  next,  wage  war — Gen. 
Gaines  applies  to  Gov.  Reynolds  for  mounted  volunteers  — 
They  rendezvous  at  Beardstown  —  Gen.  Duncan  appointed  by 
Gov.  Reynolds,  to  take  the  command  —  They  march  to  Rock 
Island — The  Indians  sue  for  peace  —  Treaty  entered  into.  25 

CHAPTER  II. 

The  Sac  and  Fox  Indians  cross  over  the  Mississippi  to  the  State  of 
Illinois,  in  a  warlike  manner  —  Extract  of  a  letter  from  General 
Hughes  to  General  Atkinson  —  Extract  of  a  letter  from  George 
Davenport  to  Gen.  Atkinson  —  Extract  of  a  letter  from  Gen. 
Atkinson  to  his  Excellency  Governor  Reynolds  —  Proclamation 
of  Governor  Reynolds  to  the  citizens  of  Illinois  —  Visit  made 
to  the  hostile  band  by  Henry  Gratiot,  Esq.,  sub  Indian  Agent 
for  the  Winnebagoes  —  Rendezvous  of  the  Volunteers  at  Beards- 
town  —  Organized  into  a  brigade  under  Gen,  Whiteside  — 
Mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United  States  at  Rock  Island  — 
Col.  John  Ewing  and  the  Author  sent  ahead  to  spy  out  the 
enemy's  camp;  take  a  prisoner  and  return  —  Meet  the  army  — 
Arrival  at  Dixon's  on  Rock  River 34 

[ai] 


22  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER   III. 

Meet  Major  Stillman  with  a  battalion  from  the  northern  counties  — 
Major  Stillman  takes  his  battalion,  goes  up  Rock  River,  in  order 
to  ascertain  the  movements  of  the  enemy  —  Falls  in  with  them, 
has  a  battle,  and  is  defeated  —  Retreats  back  to  General  White- 
side —  Col.  Ewing,  Robert  Black  well,  Esq.,  and  the  Author 
sent  as  expresses  for  more  troops  —  General  Whiteside  marches 
his  Brigade  to  the  battle  ground  —  They  bury  the  dead  —  Re 
turn  back  to  Dixon's —  Meet  General  Atkinson  there  with 
provision,  five  hundred  regulars  and  two  hundred  foot  militia — 
They  take  up  the  line  of  march  after  the  enemy  —  March  to 
Fox  River  —  The  Indians  kill  three  families  before  they  get 
there  —  They  bury  the  persons  killed  —  Army  become  dissatis 
fied,  and  are  discharged  —  Three  hundred  volunteer  to  guard 
the  frontier  until  the  new  levy  of  troops  arrive 45 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Capt.  Snyder  has  a  battle  with  the  enemy  —  Arrives  at  Head  Quar 
ters  and  he  and  his  company  are  discharged  —  New  levy  of 
troops  rendezvous  at  Beardstown  and  Hennepin — Fort  Wilbourn 
(or  Fort  Horn)  built  —  It  becomes  Head  Quarters  —  The 
Volunteers  organized  into  three  Brigades  —  Attack  on  Apple 
River  Fort  —  A  party  of  Indians  appear  near  Fort  Hamilton, 
and  kill  two  men  —  Gen.  Dodge  pursues,  overtakes  them,  and 
kills  the  whole  party  —  Capt.  Stephenson  falls  in  with  another 
war  party  —  Has  an  engagement  —  Loses  three  men,  and  him 
self  wounded  — Major  Dement  has  a  battle  with  the  enemy 
— The  three  brigades  take  different  directions  —  Gen.  Atkinson 
marches  up  Rock  River  with  Gen.  Henry's  brigade  —  The 
three  Brigades  meet  at  lake  Kushkanong;  likewise  a  squadron 
under  Gen.  Dodge  from  Michigan  Territory  —  They  continue 
for  several  days  scouring  the  country  in  search  of  the  enemy  — 
Move  up  to  the  burnt  village  on  White  Water  —  Col.  Dunn 
wounded  by  a  sentinel  —  A  regular  shot  by  an  Indian  while 
fishing  —  General  Atkinson  moves  down  to  lake  Kushkanong, 
and  builds  a  Fort  —  The  second  and  third  Brigades  and  Col. 
Dodge's  squadron  proceed  to  Fort  Winnebago  for  provision  — 
Gen.  Posey  sent  to  Fort  Hamilton  —  Our  horses  take  a  fright 
at  Fort  Winnebago,  and  run  away 58 


CONTENTS  23 

CHAPTER  V. 

Narrative  of  the  imprisonment  of  the  two  Miss  Halls  —  Their  treat 
ment  by  the  Indians  —  They  are  purchased  by  Gen.  Dodge 
and  Mr.  H.  Gratiot,  through  the  Winnebagoes  —  Their  arrival 
on  the  eleventh  day  after  their  captivity  at  White  Oak  Springs — 
Reverend  Mr.  Horn  becomes  a  friend  and  protector  to  them — 
They  are  married — Anecdote  of  Mr.  F.  stating  the  race  that 
Mr.  C.  rode  upon  his  beaver  hat  which  caused  the  death  of 
three  women  —  Poor  little  Susan  forsaken  by  her  mother  and 
about  to  be  left  to  the  mercy  of  the  savage,  when  a  kind  hunter 
takes  charge  of  her 87 

CHAPTER  VI. 

General  Alexander  returns  back  to  Fort  Kushkanong  —  Generals 
Henry  and  Dodge  take  up  the  line  of  march  to  intercept  the 
enemy,  should  they  be  making  to  the  north  —  March  to  the 
Rapids  on  Rock  River  —  Come  to  a  Winnebago  Village  — 
Have  a  talk  with  the  Indians  —  Send  an  express  to  General 
Atkinson  —  They  come  across  the  trail  of  the  enemy  and 
return  —  Fired  on  as  they  enter  our  camp  —  We  take  up  the 
line  of  march  next  morning  in  pursuit  —  Terrible  storm  on  that 
evening  —  Second  day  come  to  the  Four  Lakes  —  Encamp 
there  —  A  description  of  those  Lakes — Doctor  Philleo  kills  an 
Indian  —  We  overtake  the  enemy  the  same  evening,  and  have 
a  general  battle  —  We  defeat  the  enemy  —  They  retreat  across 
the  Wisconsin  River  —  An  Indian  talks  to  us  from  the  top  of  a 
mountain,  before  day  on  the  next  night  —  General  Henry  ad 
dresses  his  men  —  Major  Ewing  with  his  Spy  Battalion  pro 
ceeds  the  next  morning  to  the  top  of  the  mountain  —  Makes 
but  little  discovery 102 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Generals  Henry  and  Dodge  march  to  the  Blue  Mounds  for  provi 
sion  —  There  meet  the  other  two  Brigades  —  Take  up  the  line 
of  march  across  the  Wisconsin  —  Again  get  on  the  trail  of  the 
enemy  —  Take  a  Winnebago  Indian  a  prisoner  —  He  gives 
information  that  the  enemy  is  four  days  ahead  of  us  —  We  take 
him  along  —  We  enter  the  mountains  —  Bad  travelling —  Lose 
a  number  of  horses  —  Overtake  the  enemy  at  the  mouth  of  Bad 
Axe,  on  the  Mississippi —  General  Engagement  —  Gen.  Henry 
completely  routs  the  enemy 1 1 8 


24  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

Steamboat  Warrior  has  an  engagement  with  the  enemy,  the  day 
before  we  overtook  them  —  Steamboat  commanded  by  Lieuten 
ant  Kingsbury  —  Arrival  of  the  steamboat  Warrior,  soon  after 
our  engagement  —  She  returns  and  brings  us  provision  —  Gen 
eral  Atkinson,  believing  that  the  enemy  were  nearly  all  de 
stroyed,  did  not  pursue  them  across  the  Mississippi  —  March 
down  to  Prairie  du  Chien — We  find  the  friendly  Indians  re 
joicing  at  the  defeat  of  the  enemy  —  Gen.  Atkinson  has  a  talk 
with  the  Winnebagoes  —  We  march  to  Dixon's  and  are  dis 
charged 135 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Report  of  General  Atkinson  to  Major  General  Macomb,  at  Washing 
ton —  Indian  talk  with  General  Street,  when  they  delivered 
Black  Hawk  and  the  Prophet  —  Description  of  Black  Hawk  and 
the  Prophet — General  remarks  of  the  Author.  .  .  .  146 


HISTORY   OF  THE    LATE 
INDIAN  WAR. 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Winnebagoes  attack    Captain   Lindseys  Keel  Boats  in  182? 

—  lose    two    men  killed  and   several   wounded  —  General 
alarm  in  the  mining  country  —  Gov.  Cass  takes  measures  to 
punish  them  — he  corresponds  with    Gov.  Edwards  —  Gov. 
Edwards  sends  a  Regiment  from  the  northern  counties  to  the 
Mines ,  under   Col.   Neale  —  the  people  of  the  Mines  form 
themselves  into  a  corps  of  mounted  volunteers  —  elect  Gen.  H. 
Dodge  their  commander  —  Gov.  Cass  moves  against  the  In 
dians  to  the  portage  of  the  Wisconsin  river  —  they  sue  for  peace 

—  treaty  entered  into  —  the  Indians  give  up  the  Red  Bird  as 
a  hostage  for  the  good  behaviour  of  the  rest  of  the  nation —  he 
dies  in  Jail —  The  Sac  and  Fox  Indians  next,  wage  war — 
Gen.  Gaines  applies  to  Gov.  Reynolds  for  mounted  volunteers 

—  they  rendezvous  at  Beardstown  —  Gen.  Duncan  appointed 
by  Gov.  Reynolds,  to  take  the  command —  they  march  to  Rock 
Island —  the  Indians  sue  for  peace  —  treaty  entered  into. 

THE  author,  in  giving  a  history  of  the  late  war 
between  the  United  States  and  the  Sac  and  Fox 
nations  of  Indians,  thinks  it  would  be  doing  the 
subject  injustice,  not  to  give  an  outline  of  the  difficulties 
that  took  place  between  the  United  States  and  the  Win- 
nebagoes,  in  the  year  eighteen  hundred  and  twenty- 
seven,  which  he  has  observed  in  his  preface,  was  the 
first  disturbance  of  any  kind  that  took  place  between 


26  HISTORY     OF     THE 

the  Government  of  the  United  States  and  the  Winne- 
bagoes  since  the  last  war  with  Great  Britain.  But  the 
author,  in  giving  a  small  outline  of  this  disturbance,  has 
to  depend  upon  his  memory  alone  ;  as,  at  that  time,  it 
had  never  entered  his  head  that  he  would  be  the 
biographer  of  this  small  disturbance  that  took  place 
between  the  Government  and  those  Indians. 

But,  in  attempting  to  give  the  public  the  causes  and 
particulars  of  the  war  betwixt  the  Government  and  the 
Sac  and  Fox  nations  of  Indians,  he  thinks  that  it  would 
not  be  amiss  to  take  a  passing  notice  of  the  transac 
tions  that  took  place  on  this  occasion. 

Captain  Allen  Lindsey,1  a  gentleman  of  the  first  re 
spectability  in  our  country,  was  running  a  couple  of  keel 
boats  on  the  Upper  Mississippi,  in  the  summer  of 
eighteen  hundred  and  twenty-seven ;  when  within  a 
few  miles  of  Prairie  du  Chien,  was  visited  by  a  number 
of  Winnebago  Indians,  some  of  them  came  aboard  of 
his  boats  and  showed  signs  of  hostility  to  him,  such  as 
preyed  upon  his  mind  so  much  that,  before  he  returned, 
he  provided  himself  with  a  few  fire  arms,  so  that,  in 
case  of  an  attack  by  them,  he  might  be  able  to  defend 
himself. 

He  was  at  this  time  on  his  way  up  to  St.  Peters. 
He  made  his  trip,  and  accordingly  on  his  return,  when 
within  a  few  miles  of  Prairie  du  Chien,  he  was  again 
visited  by  those  same  Indians.  He  had  to  pass  down 
the  river  close  to  their  towns  and  habitation  for  several 
miles ;  for  that  is  the  way  these  wretched  beings  live, 
in  small  bark  wigwams,  along  some  water  course,  where 
they  can  paddle  their  canoes. 

But  agreeably  to  Capt.   Lindsey's  expectations,  he 

was  not  permitted  to  pass  by  their  dwellings  in  peace. 

-Very  late  in  the  evening,  a  number  of  those  blood 

thirsty   savages   made   their  appearance  to   him   in  a 

menacing  manner,  by  opening  a  heavy  fire  upon  his 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR  27 

boats ;  and  by  the  help  of  their  canoes  attempted  to 
board  them.  But  Capt.  Lindsey,  had  fortunately  for 
him,  anticipated  that  they  did  not  intend  to  let  him 
pass  without  firing  him  a  salute  of  this  description. 
He  was  prepared  for  them,  although  he  had  but  few 
men  aboard  of  his  boats,  but  what  he  had  proved  to  be 
soldiers.  The  Indians  opened  a  heavy  fire  upon  him, 
which  was  returned  by  him  and  his  boat's  crew  with 
double  interest.  There  were  a  large  number  of  In 
dians,  who  charged  upon  him  in  their  canoes,  thinking 
to  board  his  boats,  but  he  prevented  them  by  the  hard 
est  kind  of  fighting.  They  came  so  near  boarding 
him,  that,  a  number  of  them  lashed  their  canoes  to  his 
boats ;  but  he  gave  them  a  quietus  in  the  act,  and  they 
bequeathed  their  canoes  to  him  in  return,  and  became 
bait  for  the  fish  of  the  Mississippi.  At  this,  each  one 
made  shift  for  himself.  The  Indians  paddled  their 
canoes  in  one  direction,  and  Captain  Lindsey  rowed 
his  boats  the  other. 

Captain  Lindsey  lost  two  fine  men  in  the  action,  and 
a  number  wounded  ;2  but  how  many  I  do  not  recollect 
at  this  time.  If  this  officer  had  not  anticipated  mis 
chief  from  those  wretched  beings,  there  is  no  doubt 
but  that  he  and  his  whole  crew  would  have  been 
massacred  by  those  inhuman  barbarians ;  for  it  is  gen 
erally  supposed  that  it  was  plunder,  or,  in  other  words, 
the  cargo  that  the  boats  contained,  they  were  after. 

Captain  Lindsey  ran  his  boats  down  as  soon  as  pos 
sible,  to  Galena,  a  small  town  on  Fever  river,  six 
miles  above  where  it  empties  itself  into  the  Mississippi, 
which  is  now  the  county  seat  of  Jo  Daviess  county,  in 
the  north-west  corner  of  the  State  of  Illinois. 

When  Captain  Lindsey  arrived  at  that  point,  and 
gave  the  news,  it  created  great  fear  and  alarm ;  to  such 
a  degree,  that  expresses  were  sent  in  different  direc 
tions  to  inform  the  citizens  of  the  Mines  to  move  into 


28  HISTORY    OF    THE 

Galena,  and  prepare  for  war.  The  people  of  the  Mines 
took  the  alarm,  so  that  in  two  days'  time  there  were 
not  less  than  three  thousand  men,  women  and  children, 
who  fled  to  this  place  for  safety.  Those  Indians  had 
made  many  threats  against  the  miners,  and  had  at  dif 
ferent  times  ordered  them  off,  and  told  them  to  quit 
the  diggings,  saying  that  the  ground  they  were  digging 
on  was  theirs.  This  news,  coming  at  this  time,  when 
they  were  apprehensive  of  mischief,  gave  them  an  alarm, 
and  caused  them  to  fly  to  Galena  for  safety.  They 
forsook  their  rude  habitations,  and  assembled  at  that 
place,  in  order  to  assist  in  defending  each  other.  There 
were  a  few  forts  built  in  the  more  thickly  settled  parts 
of  the  Mines,  and  some  of  the  most  fearless  [of  the] 
citizens  occupied  them. 

There  was  a  committee  of  safety  appointed  in  Galena, 
who  corresponded  with  all  parts  of  the  Mines,  and 
adopted  measures  for  the  safety  and  preservation  of 
all;  and  in  the  mean  time  had  some  strong  block  houses 
built  at  Galena.  The  people  likewise,  who  were  able 
and  willing  to  bear  arms,  volunteered  and  formed 
themselves  into  companies,  and  chose  their  own  officers; 
ranged  the  country,  and  kept  a  good  lookout,  for  fear 
the  Indians  would  steal  upon  them,  and  take  them  by 
surprise. 

Governor  Cass,  in  the  mean  time,  was  not  inactive, 
but  corresponded  with  Governor  Edwards,  then  Gov 
ernor  of  Illinois.  Governor  Edwards  immediately 
raised  one  regiment  of  mounted  volunteers  in  the 
northern  counties,  and  sent  them  on  to  the  relief  of  the 
mining  country,  and  to  go  against  those  Indians.  They 
elected  Thomas  M.  Neale  their  commander.  The 
people  of  the  Mines  formed  themselves  into  another 
corps,  and  elected  General  Dodge  their  commander  — 
a  man  well  qualified  to  command,  and  who  had  some 
experience  in  the  same. 


LATE    INDIAN    WAR  29 

Col.  Neale  marched  his  regiment  to  the  Mines,  but 
no  further.  Gen.  Dodge,  assisted  by  Gov.  Cass,3 
marched  on  a  force  of  near  one  thousand  men,4  to  the 
portage  of  the  Wisconsin  and  Fox  rivers,  where  the 
Indians  sued  for  peace.  A  treaty  was  then  made  with 
them.  They  gave  up  their  commander,  who  had  been 
the  principal  cause  of  the  war,  whom  they  called  the 
Red  Bird.  He  was  put  in  prison  at  Prairie  du  Chien, 
and  was  to  have  been  kept  as  a  hostage  for  the  good 
behavior  of  the  rest  of  his  nation,  but  he  soon  died. 

After  this  treaty,  the  forts  were  again  forsaken,  and 
the  citizens  returned  to  their  respective  habitations, 
and  peace  and  safety  seemed  to  be  felt  by  all,  until  the 
hostile  movement  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  in  the  spring 
of  eighteen  hundred  and  thirty-one;  when  they  invaded 
the  State  of  Illinois,  by  leaving  their  own  side  of  the 
Mississippi,  crossing  over,  and  attempting  to  claim  the 
land  they  had  sold  to  the  General  Government,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Rock  Island.  Here  this  terrible  and 
warlike  nation  of  Indians  committed  all  kinds  of  out 
rage  on  the  citizens  near  this  place.  The  citizens  had 
purchased  the  land  they  lived  upon  from  the  General 
Government,  and  had  opened  good  farms,  built  houses, 
and  had  been  living  in  peace  and  quietness  for  nearly 
three  years,  when  these  wretched  monsters  in  human 
shape  attempted  to  drive  them  from  their  homes,  and 
take  possession  of  them  themselves;  which  in  fact  they 
did.*  But  this  was  not  all  those  savage  monsters  did. 
They  turned  their  horses  into  their  wheat  fields,  killed 
their  stock,  and  laid  waste  whole  farms. 

It  was  time  now  for  those  citizens  to  ask  for  assist 
ance  from  their  countrymen.  They  did  so.  Petition 
after  petition  was  sent  to  the  Governor  of  Illinois, 
laying  before  him  their  grievances,  f  Governor 

*  See  Appendix,  Note  No.  i. 
f  See  Appendix,  Note  No.  a. 


3o  HISTORY     OF     THE 

Reynolds  hesitated  not  a  moment,  but  addressed  the 
proper  officers  on  this  important  subject.  He  addressed 
letters  to  Generals  Clark  and  Gaines  on  this  subject, 
and  tried  every  means  that  lay  in  his  power  to  dissuade 
those  unhappy  people  to  desist  from  their  designs,  and 
return  back  to  their  own  side  of  the  Mississippi  to 
their  own  land.  But  to  this  they  turned  a  deaf  ear 
too,  as  well  as  to  all  kind  of  entreaty  that  could  be 
made  through  their  agents,  or  Gen.  Gaines  or  any 
other  person.  They  bid  defiance  to  General  Gaines, 
and  bantered  him  to  fight  them  with  his  regulars. 
This  was  enough.  Gen.  Gaines  saw  now  that  there 
was  no  way  of  settling  this  business,  only  by  a  resort 
to  arms.  He  accordingly  made  a  call  upon  Governor 
Reynolds  for  seven  hundred  mounted  volunteers  to 
co-operate  with  him  in  driving  them  from  the  State.* 

Governor  Reynolds  immediately  obeyed  the  call, 
and  issued  his  proclamation  to  the  citizens  of  the 
northern  counties  of  Illinois,  who  turned  out  to  the 
number  of  fifteen  hundred  strong,  and  rendezvoused 
at  Beardstown,  on  the  Illinois  river;  and  between  the 
first  and  tenth  days  of  June  were  organized  into  a 
brigade,  under  the  command  of  Gen.  Joseph  Duncan. 

This  brigade  was  officered  in  the  following  manner, 
viz :  James  D.  Henry,  of  Sangamon  county,  Colonel  of 
the  first  regiment;  Jacob  Fry,  Lieutenant  Colonel; 
John  T.  Stuart,  Major;  Thomas  Collins,  Adjutant; 
Edward  Jones,  Quarter  Master;  and  Thomas  M.  Neale, 
Paymaster.  The  Captains  were  as  follows:  Adam 
Smith,  William  F.  Elkin,  A.  Morris,  Thomas  Carlin, 
Samuel  Smith,  John  Lorton,  and  Samuel  C.  Pierce. 

The  second  Regiment  was  commanded  by  Colonel 
Daniel  Leib,  of  Morgan  County;  -  ,  Lieu 

tenant  Colonel;  Nathaniel  Butler,  Major;  Captains 
H  .Mathews,  John  Ha[i]nes,  George  Bristow,  William 

*  See  Appendix,  Note  No.  3. 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR  31 

Gilham,  [Hiram]  Kincade,  Alexander  Wells,  William 
Weatherford,  and  W.  Jordan,  Quarter  Master. 

There  was  one  odd  battalion,  which  was  officered  in 
the  following  manner:  Nathaniel  Buckmaster,5  Major; 
James  Semple,  Adjutant;  Joseph  Gillespie,  Paymaster; 
[David  Wright,]  Quarter  Master;  Richard  Roman, Sur- 

feon ;     Captains    William     Moore,    John     Loramie, 
Loraine]    and   Solomon   Miller.      [Charles    Higbee 
was  Surgeon  and  Roman  was  Mate. — Ed.] 

The  spy  battalion,  next,  was  officered  in  the  follow 
ing  manner:  Samuel  Whiteside,8  Major;  Samuel  F. 
Kendle,  Adjutant;  John  S.  Greathouse,  Quarter 
Master;  P.  H.  Winchester,  Pay  Master;  Captains 
Erastus  Wheeler,  William  B.  Whiteside,  William 
Miller,  and  Solomon  Prewitt.7 

Those  were  the  officers  that  composed  the  brigade 
under  Gen.  Joseph  Duncan,  with  a  few  exceptions. 
The  name  of  the  Lieutenant  Colonel  in  Col.  Leib's 
regiment,  I  have  not  been  fortunate  enough  to  get  in 
possession  of,  and  I  have  not  been  able  to  get  all  the 
staff  officers  belonging  to  it;8  for  I  have  no  public  record 
to  resort  to.  Therefore,  I  hope  no  gentleman  will 
think  hard  of  me,  or  feel  himself  slighted  in  not 
having  his  name  inserted  in  this  history. 

General  Duncan,  after  his  brigade  was  organized, 
took  the  line  of  march  for  the  seat  of  war,  or  where 
the  savage  rebels  were  assembled  and  bidding  defiance 
to  General  Gaines  and  his  regulars,  at  or  near  Rock 
Island. 

When  General  Duncan  arrived  at  Rock  River,  he 
had  to  cross  this  stream  near  an  island;  and  for  fear  of 
an  ambuscade,  General  Gaines  had  it  raked  with  a  six 
pounder,  so  that  if  the  enemy  were  concealed  in  this 
hiding  place,  he  might  drive  them  from  it  until  his 
men  could  cross.  —  He  fired  his  six  pounder9  a  num 
ber  of  times  into  this  Island,  but  the  enemy  had  taken 


32  HISTORY     OF    THE 

the  alarm,  and  crossed  over  the  Mississippi;  but  still 
kept  embodied  for  action.  They  did  not  much  like 
the  sound  of  the  six  pounder. 

Some  of  them  afterwards  came  over  to  Rock  Island, 
where  General  Duncan  had  arrived  with  his  men,  and 
joined  General  Gaines,  who  took  command  of  all  the 
forces  then  in  the  field.  They  held  a  white  flag  in 
their  hands.  They  now  sued  for  peace.  The  Black 
Hawk  was  not  one  of  the  company.  General  Gaines 
demanded  of  them  to  bring  him.  They  at  first  refused, 
but  he  told  them  that  he  would  march  his  forces  across 
the  river  and  cut  them  off,  if  they  did  not  produce  him. 
They  then  returned  and  brought  the  wretched  Hawk, 
who  had  caused  so  much  trouble  to  them  and  our  own 
Government. 

They  then  entered  into  capitulations  of  a  treaty;*  the 
articles  of  which  they  violated  in  a  few  weeks  after 
wards  by  the  most  daring  outrage.  It  was  stipulated 
in  the  articles,  that  they  were  to  remain  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Mississippi,  and  never  to  cross  the  river, 
and  come  into  the  State  of  Illinois,  without  the  per 
mission  of  the  President  of  the  United  States  or  the 
Governor  of  Illinois.  But  they  soon  forgot  this 
agreement.  They  crossed  over  in  a  few  weeks,  went 
within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  Prairie  du  Chien,  in  the 
dead  hour  of  night,  fell  upon  a  camp  of  Menominie 
Indians,  slaughtered  and  killed  twenty-five  of  them; 
and  that  too,  within  gun-shot  of  a  garrison  of  regulars. 
Those  Menominie  Indians  never  have  been  at  war 
with  the  Government  of  the  United  States.  They 
have  ever  looked  to  it  for  protection. — They  had  been 
that  day  in  an  Indian  frolic,  and  were  nearly  all  drunk. 
It  is  a  well  known  thing,  that,  when  Indians  get  into 
one  of  those  drunken  frolics,  they  are  dangerous,  one 

*  See  Appendix,  Note  No.  4.      See  General  Gaines's  Report  to  President  U.   S., 
Appendix,  Note  No.  5. 


« « <  « 


LATE    INDIAN    WAR  33 

to  another,  and  the  squaws  invariably  make  it  a  rule  to 
hide  their  arms  until  they  get  sober.  This  was  the 
case  at  this  time.  Those  Menominies  had  just  been 
gorging  with  this  hydra  monster  of  all  evil,  and  were 
lying  in  their  wigwams,  lost  in  sleep;  never  dreaming 
or  thinking  that  there  was  the  least  danger  of  being 
butchered  by  those  hideous  monsters,  that  were  of  the 
same  species  of  human  beings  with  themselves.  But 
the  deadly  tomahawk  and  spear  were  buried  in  them 
when  in  their  helpless  situation.  The  Menominies, 
it  is  said,  succeeded  in  killing  four  of  these  savage 
monsters,  who  deserved  to  die  the  worst  of  deaths.10 
The  Menominies  immediately  informed  Gen.  Street 
of  the  massacre.  He  repaired  immediately  to  the  battle 
ground.  They  appeared  to  be  in  great  distress  for  the 
loss  of  their  friends.  They  had  killed  a  number  of 
squaws  and  children.  The  Menominies  made  heavy 
complaints  to  Gen.  Street,  saying,  you  have  told  us  that 
you  would  protect  us,  and  see  that  the  Sacs  and  Foxes 
would  let  us  alone.  Gen.  Street  told  them  that  they 
would  be  punished  for  what  they  had  done.  He  accord 
ingly  sent  a  communication  to  Governor  Reynolds, 
informing  him  of  their  movements,  and  the  slaughter 
of  the  Menominies;  and  at  the  same  time,  took  measures 
to  demand  the  murderers;  the  particulars  of  which  I 
am  not  able  to  lay  before  the  public.  But  instead  of 
the  Sacs  and  Foxes  delivering  up  the  murderers,  they, 
early  in  the  spring  following,  crossed  over  to  the  State 
of  Illinois,  armed  and  equipped  for  war,  and  passed  by, 
almost  in  sight  of  Fort  Armstrong,  bidding  defiance  to 
General  Atkinson,  the  commander  of  the  fort.  Gen. 
Atkinson  then  communicated  to  Governor  Reynolds, 
by  express,  their  movements.  Governor  Reynolds 
then  lost  no  time  in  issuing  his  proclamation  to  the 
citizens  of  Illinois,  calling  for  volunteers. 


CHAPTER    II. 

The  Sac  and  Fox  Indians  cross  over  the  Mississippi  to  the  State  of 
Illinois,  in  a  warlike  manner — Extract  of  a  letter  from 
General  Hughes  to  Gen.  Atkinson — Extract  of  a  letter  from 
George  Davenport  to  Gen.  Atkinson — Extract  of  a  letter 
from  Gen.  Atkinson  to  his  Excellency,  Governor  Reynolds — 
Proclamation  of  Governor  Reynolds  to  the  citizens  of  Illinois 
— Visit  made  to  the  hostile  band,  by  Henry  Gratiot,  Esq.,  sub 
Indian  Agent  for  the  Winnebagoes — Rendezvous  of  the 
Volunteers  at  Beardstown — Organized  into  a  brigade  under 
Gen.  White  side — Mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United 
States  at  Rock  Island — Col.  'John  Ewing  and  the  Author 
sent  ahead  to  spy  out  the  enemy's  camp;  take  a  prisoner,  and 
return — Meet  the  Army — Arrival  at  Dixon's,  on  Rock  river. 


Extract  of  a  letter  from  General  Hughes,  sub  Indian  Agent,  to 
General  Atkinson,  dated, 

"Rock  Island,  April  I3th,  1832. 

"My  opinion  is,  that  the  squaws  and  old  men  have  gone  to 
the  Prophet's  town,  on  Rock  river — and  the  warriors  are  now 
only  a  few  miles  below  the  mouth  of  Rock  river,  within  the 
limits  of  the  State  of  Illinois.  That  those  Indians  are  hostile 
to  the  whites  there  is  no  doubt.  That  they  have  invaded  the 
State  of  Illinois,  to  the  great  injury  of  her  citizens,  is  equally 
true.  Hence  it  is,  that  the  public  good  requires  that  strong 
as  well  as  speedy  measures  should  be  taken  against  Black 
Hawk  and  his  followers. 

"  Respectfully  I  have,  the  honor  to  be, 

"Your  obedient  servant. 

(Signed.)  "  ANDREW  S.  HUGHES." 

"To  Brig.  Gen.  Atkinson." 

[34] 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR  35 

Extract  of  a  letter  from    George  Davenport,   Esq.  to  Brigadier 
General  Atkinson,  dated, 

"Rock  Island,  April  I3th,  1832. 

"Dear  Sir:  In  reply  to  your  enquiries  of  this  morning, 
respecting  the  Indians,  I  have  to  state,  that  I  have  been 
informed  by  the  man  I  have  wintering  with  the  Indians,  that 
the  British  band  of  Sac  Indians  are  determined  to  make  war 
upon  the  frontier  settlements.  The  British  band  of  Sac 
Indians  did  rendezvous  at  old  fort  Madison,  and  induced  a 
great  many  of  the  young  men  to  join  them  on  their  arrival  at 
the  Yellow  Banks.  They  crossed  about  five  hundred  head 
of  horses  into  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  sent  about  seventy 
horses  through  the  country  toward  Rock  river.  The  re 
mainder,  some  on  horseback,  the  others  in  canoes,  in  a 
fighting  order,  advanced  up  the  Mississippi,  and  were  encamped 
yesterday  five  or  six  miles  below  Rock  river,  and  will  no 
doubt  endeavor  to  reach  their  strong  hold  in  the  Rock  river 
swamps,  if  they  are  not  intercepted.  From  every  information 
that  I  have  received,  I  am  of  opinion,  that  the  intention  of 
the  British  band  of  Sac  Indians,  is  to  commit  depredations  on 
the  inhabitants  of  the  frontier. 

"Respectfully  your  ob't.  serv't. 
(Signed.)  "  GEO.  DAVENPORT." 

"To  Brig.  Gen.  Atkinson." 

Extract  of  a  letter  from  Gen.  Atkinson  to  his  Excellency,  Governor 
Reynolds,  dated, 

"Fort  Armstrong,  April  I3th,  1832. 

"Dear  Sir:  The  band  of  Sacs  under  Black  Hawk,  joined 
by  about  one  hundred  Kickapoos,  and  a  few  Pottawatamies, 
amounting  in  all  to  about  five  hundred  men,  have  assumed  a 
hostile  attitude.  They  crossed  the  river  at  the  Yellow  Banks, 
on  the  sixth  instant,  and  are  now  moving  up  on  the  east  side  of 
Rock  river  towards  the  Prophet's  village. 

******** 

"The  regular  force  under  my  command,  is  too  small  to 
justify  me  in  pursuing  the  hostile  party.  To  make  an  unsuc 
cessful  attempt  to  coerce  them,  would  only  irritate  them  to 


36  HISTORY    OF    THE 

acts  of  hostility  on  the  frontier,  sooner  than  they  probably 
contemplate. 

"  Your  own  knowledge  of  the  character  of  these  Indians, 
with  the  information  herewith  submitted,  will  enable  you  to 
judge  of  the  course  proper  to  be  pursued.  I  think  the  frontier 
is  in  great  danger,  and  will  use  all  the  means  at  my  disposal 
to  co-operate  with  you,  in  its  protection  and  defence. 
"  With  great  respect, 

"  Your  most  ob't.  serv't. 

UH.  ATKINSON,  Brigadier 

"General  of  the  U.  S.  Army." 
His  Excellency,  Gov.  REYNOLDS,  Bell [e]  ville,  111. 

I  will  next  give  the  reader  Governor  Reynolds's 
Proclamation  to  the  militia  of  Illinois,  and  his  con 
cluding  remarks;  and  of  the  necessity  of  those  that  were 
able  to  bear  arms,  turning  out  in  defence  of  their 
country's  rights. 

"To  the  Militia  of  the  North-western  section  of  Illinois: 

"FELLOW  CITIZENS:  Your  country  requires  your  ser 
vices.  The  Indians  have  assumed  a  hostile  attitude,  and 
have  invaded  the  State,  in  violation  of  the  treaty  of  last  sum 
mer. 

"The  British  band  of  Sacs,  and  other  hostile  Indians, 
headed  by  the  Black  Hawk,  are  in  possession  of  the  Rock 
river  country,  to  the  great  terror  of  the  frontier  inhabitants. 

"I  consider  the  settlers  on  the  frontiers  in  imminent  dan 
ger.  I  am  in  possession  of  the  above  information  from  gen 
tlemen  of  respectable  standing,  and  from  Gen.  Atkinson, 
whose  character  stands  so  high  in  all  classes. 

"In  possession  of  the  foregoing  facts  and  information,  I 
hesitate  not  as  to  the  course  I  should  pursue.  No  citizen 
ought  to  remain  quiet  when  his  country  is  invaded,  and  the 
helpless  part  of  the  community  is  in  danger.  I  have  called 
out  a  strong  detachment  of  militia,  to  rendezvous  at  Beards- 
town,  on  the  22d  instant;  provision  for  the  men,  and  corn 
for  the  horses  will  be  furnished  in  abundance.  I  hope  my 


LATE    INDIAN    WAR  37 

countrymen  will  realize  my  expectations,  and  offer  their  ser 
vices,  as  heretofore,  with  promptitude  and  cheerfulness,  in 
defence  of  their  country. 

"JOHN  REYNOLDS, 

"Commander  in  Chief." 

I  will  next  refer  the  reader  to  a  visit  made  to  the 
hostile  Indians  by  Henry  Gratiot,  Esq. 

On  the  1 6th  day  of  April,  Mr.  Gratiot,  Indian 
Agent  for  the  Rock  river  band  of  Winnebagoes,  re 
ceived  a  letter  from  Gen.  Atkinson,  informing  him  of 
the  movements  of  Black  Hawk's  band  of  hostile  In 
dians,  and  requesting  him,  if  possible,  to  ascertain  the 
disposition  of  them.  On  the  receipt  of  this  informa 
tion,  Mr.  Gratiot  proceeded  down  Rock  river,  and 
on  the  1 9th  arrived  at  the  Turtle  Village11  of  Winne 
bagoes  — found  them  at  the  exercise  of  their  religious 
ceremonies,  and  consequently  could  not  have  a  hear 
ing  with  them  until  the  22d.  He  then  held  a  talk 
with  them,  and  learned  from  them  that  the  Sacs  had, 
at  three  different  times,  sent  them  the  wampum,  and 
that  the  last  was  painted  red,  thereby  indicating  war.12 
The  last  wampum  was  not  returned.  They  also  in 
formed  Mr.  Gratiot,  that  it  was  their  determination 
not  to  join  the  hostile  Sacs — that  there  were  some 
Winnebagoes  living  at  the  Prophet's  Village  who  were 
friendly  to  the  whites — and  that  they  requested  them 
to  leave  it  and  come  to  their  village  to  reside  until  all 
the  difficulties  were  settled. 

In  order  to  accomplish  this  object,  Mr.  Gratiot  took 
twenty  four  men  of  the  Turtle  Village  to  accompany 
him  to  the  Prophet's  Town,  at  which  place  they 
arrived  on  the  25th,  and  hoisted  his  flag  of  truce.  He 
was  received  with  much  attention  by  the  Winneba 
goes,  who  made  him  a  large  lodge,  eighty  feet  long, 
for  himself  and  their  visiting  brethren.  In  this  village 


38  HISTORY     OF     THE 

he  found  between  two  and  three  hundred  men,  women 
and  children,  belonging  to  the  Prophet's  band.  These 
Indians  manifested  no  hostile  disposition,  but  severally 
remonstrated  against  the  conduct  of  the  Prophet,  who 
was  at  that  time  with  the  hostile  band  of  Sacs,  a  few 
miles  below,  leading  them  on  to  his  village.  Mr. 
Gratiot  advised  these  Indians  to  go  up  Rock  river  on 
their  own  lands,  and  make  a  village,  where  they  might 
rest  in  peace.  This  they  promised  to  do. 

On  the  26th,  Mr.  Gratiot  saw  at  a  distance,  about 
two  miles  down  Rock  river,  the  army  of  the  cel 
ebrated  Black  Hawk,  consisting  of  about  five  hundred 
Sacs,  well  armed,  and  mounted  on  fine  horses,  moving 
in  a  line  of  battle. — Their  appearance  was  terrible  in 
the  extreme.13  Their  bodies  were  painted  with  white 
clay,  with  an  occasional  impression  of  their  hands  about 
their  bodies,  colored  black.  Around  their  ankles  and 
bodies  they  wore  wreaths  of  straw,  which  always  indi 
cate  a  disposition  for  blood.  They  moved  on  with 
great  regularity,  performing  many  evolutions;  wheeling 
every  few  minutes,  and  firing  towards  Fort  Armstrong; 
turning,  flanking,  and  then  forming  into  solid  columns, 
from  which  they  would  form  their  line  of  march.  In 
that  way  they  marched  to  the  beating  of  a  drum  till 
they  came  to  the  village. 

They  marched  up  to  Gratiot's  lodge,  where  was 
flying  the  neutral  flag;  formed  a  circle  around  it;  took 
down  his  flag,  and  tauntingly  hoisted  the  British 
colors  in  its  place.  They  then  fired  into  the  air  toward 
his  lodge,  sounded  the  war-whoop  around  it,  and  made 
several  motions  toward  attacking  Mr.  Gratiot  and  the 
friendly  Winnebagoes.  They  afterward  dismounted, 
entered  his  lodge,  shook  hands  with  Mr.  Gratiot  and 
Mr.  Cubbage,  a  gentleman  who  accompanied  him. 
They  then  formed  a  circle  within  his  lodge,  holding 
their  spears  and  other  implements  of  war,  and  evincing, 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR 


39 


by  their  actions  and  countenances,  an  unfriendly  feel 
ing.  After  holding  a  consultation  among  themselves, 
a  friendly  Winnebago  Chief,  ("White  Crow,")  who 
went  with  Mr.  Gratiot  from  the  Turtle  Village,  arose, 
went  to  his  blanket,  took  out  two  plugs  of  tobacco, 
and  gave  them  to  the  war-chief  of  the  hostile  band; 
after  which  the  war  party  left  the  lodge  leaving  only 
Black  Hawk. 

This  Chief14  (Black  Hawk)  then  told  Mr.  Gratiot 
that  he  had  received  a  letter  from  General  Atkinson, 
but  refused  to  let  him  read  it  at  the  time,  but  said  that 
he  would  show  it  to  him  when  he  got  to  the  end  of  his 
march,  which  was  about  sixty  miles  above.  Mr. 
Gratiot  replied,  that  he  was  not  going  that  way;  but 
he  was  answered  by  Black  Hawk,  that  he  would  let 
him  know  about  it  on  the  next  day.  So  it  appeared 
that  Mr.  Gratiot  was  then  considered  their  prisoner  of 
war;15  which  the  development  of  other  facts  that  after 
wards  occurred,  conclusively  proved.  Black  Hawk 
shortly  afterwards  left  Mr.  Gratiot,  under  a  promise  to 
visit  him  again  the  next  morning. 

The  hostile  band  were  all  night  engaged  in  holding  a 
council  among  themselves.  On  the  following  morning, 
the  Prophet,  at  the  head  of  about  forty  warriors,  came 
into  Mr.  Gratiot's  lodge,  presented  General  Atkinson's 
letter,  and  told  him,  he  might  take  the  letter  back  to 
General  Atkinson.  Mr.  Gratiot  insisted  on  reading 
the  letter  to  them;  upon  which  request,  Black  Hawk 
and  Na-a-pope 18  were  sent  for,  and  the  letter  read.  The 
substance  of  which  was,  to  adviseltlW'Jip&tHe  Chiefs  to 
desist  from  their  evil  designs — Across  the  Mississi ppi 
river,  settle  down  in  peace,  ard  pl-int  >hnr  a>rn,.ftc. 
In  reply  to  which,  they  requested  Mr.  Gratiot  to  hand 
back  the  letter,  and  inform  General  Atkinson,  that  their 
hearts  were  bad,17  and  that  they  would  not  return;  but  to 
the  contrary,  that  if  he  brought  his  troops  among  them 


40  HISTORY    OF    THE 

they  would  fight  them.     Mr.  Gratiot  immediately  went 
to  Rock  Island  and  delivered  the  message. 

Thus,  reader,  these  documents  go  to  show  the  great 
necessity  that  Governor  Reynolds  had,  for  making  the 
call  for  mounted  volunteers,  to  defend  the  rights  of  our 
country,  and  drive  from  our  State  those  merciless 
savages,  that  wished  to  imbrue  their  hands  in  the  blood 
of  its  citizens. 

Agreeably  to  his  proclamation,  the  citizens  of 
Illinois,  quit  their  peaceful  fire-sides  and  homes,  and 
volunteered  to  defend  our  dear  and  sacred  rights,  which 
had  been  purchased  for  us  by  our  ancestors,  at  the  price 
of  much  blood.  There  was  a  sufficient  number  turned 
out  without  drafting;  the  people  at  once  saw  the  great 
danger  our  frontier  was  in;  and  their  patriotic  feelings 
would  not  suffer  them  to  stay  at  home,  when  they  knew 
their  services  were  wanted  in  the  field.  Accordingly,  at 
the  appointed  time,  the  mounted  volunteers  from  the 
different  counties,  that  were  called  upon,  rendezvoused 
at  Beardstown,  on  the  Illinois  river,  where  we  were  met 
by  Gov.  Reynolds. 

Upon  our  being  organized  into  a  Brigade,  Governor 
Reynolds  appointed  Brigadier  General  Samuel  White- 
side  commander  of  the  Brigade,  who,  for  his  courage 
and  bravery,  as  an  officer  in  the  last  war  with  Great 
Britain,  stood  pre-eminent. —  He  at  that  time  had  the 
command  of  a  company  of  rangers,  and  was  by  all 
acknowledged  to  be  an  excellent  Indian  fighter. 

/The  Brigade  consisted  of  about  sixteen  hundred 
n  afcd  tvfo  Jumdred  footmen,  who  w~re  orgnn- 
&mJHti3,  and  an  odd  spy  battalion. 
it^',1?,  ^commanded  the  first  regiment; 
Colonel  Fry,19  the  second;  Colonel  Thomas,20  (of  St. 
Clair,)  the  third;  and  Colonel  Thompson,  the  fourth. 
Colonel  James  D.  Henry,  of  Sangamon  county, 
commanded  the  spy  battalion. 


*,,  .   .    ;-: 


LATE    INDIAN    WAR  41 

On  the  twenty-seventh  day  of  April,  the  troops  got  in 
motion,  and  took  up  the  line  of  march,  under  the 
command  of  General  Whiteside,  accompanied  by 
Governor  Reynolds,  the  Commander-in-chief.  After 
crossing  the  Illinois  river,  we  directed  our  course  to  the 
Yellow  Banks,21  on  the  Mississippi  river,  at  which  place, 
we  arrived  on  the  third  day  of  May.  Nothing  very 
interesting  occurred  on  our  march  to  the  Yellow  Banks. 

In  crossing  Henderson's  river,  we  lost  several  head 
of  horses,  the  river  being  very  high,  and  not  having  any 
ferry  boat  to  cross  in;  but  very  fortunately  the  men  all 
got  over  safe.  We  had  to  take  the  point  of  the  Yellow 
Banks,  in  order  to  draw  provision,  as  a  steam  boat  with 
supplies  was  to  meet  us  there.  It  is  worthy  of  remark, 
that  when  we  got  to  this  place,  we  found  the  citizens 
quietly  remaining  at  their  homes,  and  not  in  the  least 
alarmed. 

The  next  day  after  we  arrived  at  this  place,  the  old 
principal  Chief  (  Ke-o-kuck,)  crossed  the  river,  with  fifty 
or  sixty  of  his  warriors,  and  a  few  Squaws,  to  our 
encampment, — held  a  war  dance,  and  stated,  that  it  was 
not  their  intention  to  raise  arms  against  the  United 
States,  —  at  the  same  time  signifying  a  willingness  to 
assist  in  fighting  the  Black  Hawk. 

On  the  third  day  after  our  arrival  at  the  Yellow 
Banks,  the  steam  boat  arrived  with  a  sufficient  supply 
of  provision,  which  enabled  us  to  take  the  line  of  march 
for  Rock  river,  at  which  place  we  arrived  on  the 
following  day  (the  seventh.)  On  the  [May  8th]  we 
were  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United  States  by 
Brigadier  General  Atkinson.22 

On  the  evening  after  having  been  received  by 
General  Atkinson,  Colonel  John  Ewing  and  myself 
were  sent  by  Governor  Reynolds  as  secret  spies,  with 
directions  to  keep  in  front  of  the  army;  he  also  sent  a 
gentleman  by  the  name  of  Kinney  with  us  as  a  pilot. 


42  HISTORY     OF     THE 

Our  instructions  were,  to  proceed  as  near  the  direction 
as  we  could,  according  to  our  judgment,  form,  of  the 
course  Black  Hawk  and  his  army  had  taken;  and  if 
possible,  for  us  to  ascertain  where  the  encampment  of 
the  enemy  was.  According  to  our  instructions,  we 
proceeded  up  Rock  river,  as  near  the  direction  that 
Black  Hawk  had  taken,  as  our  pilot  judged  to  be  the 
course.  On  the  second  day  after  we  started,  we  dis 
covered  several  signs  of  Indians,  who  appeared  to  be 
going  different  directions,  which  led  us  to  suppose, 
that  they  were  sent  by  Black  Hawk  to  ascertain 
whether  or  not  we  were  following  them. 

On  that  night,  we  encamped  in  sight  of  the  old 
Prophet's  Village;23  next  morning  we  went  through 
the  Town,  and  saw  where  Black  Hawk  had  encamped 
with  his  whole  army.  His  encampment  was  laid  off 
in  a  manner  showing  great  skill  in  warfare.  No 
American  General  could  have  laid  it  out  in  a  more 
military  style ;  from  the  appearance  of  the  encamp 
ment,  we  were  induced  to  believe  that  they  remained 
there  a  week ;  from  which  place  we  proceeded,  confin 
ing  ourselves  to  Rock  river,  which  we  were  going  up. 
We  had  not  proceeded  more  than  five  miles  from  this 
place,  before  we  discovered  two  Indians  coming  in  the 
direction  to  meet  us.  Col.  Ewing  and  myself  made 
up  to  them  in  great  haste ;  on  our  meeting  them,  we 
demanded  of  them  to  know  their  business  there;  on 
their  not  being  able  to  understand  us,  we  directed  Mr. 
Kinney  to  enquire  of  them  what  they  were  doing  there? 
Their  answer  was,  that  they  had  lost  their  horses,  and 
were  hunting  them  ;  that  they  belonged  to  Ke-o-kuck's 
band.  We  directed  the  interpreter  to  ask  them,  if  they 
knew  where  Black  Hawk  was  P  They  signified  that 
they  did  not  know,  and  appeared  to  be  much  alarmed. 
I  observed  in  the  course  of  the  conversation,  that  we 
ought  to  take  them  as  prisoners  —  to  which  Col.  Ewing 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR  43 

made  no  reply,  but  appeared  to  be  reflecting  on  the 
course  to  take,  until  they  started  and  had  got  a  short 
distance  from  us;  he  then  came  to  the  conclusion  to 
take  them ;  we  immediately  gave  chase,  they  had  four 
horses  that  appeared  to  be  fresh  and  good,  on  account 
of  which  they  gained  distance  on  us,  shaping  their 
course  for  the  river.  During  the  chase,  we  discovered 
another  Indian  on  our  left,  after  consulting  for  a 
moment,  we  concluded  to  endeavor  to  take  him  pris 
oner;  accordingly  we  all  pursued  him,  until  we  came 
up  with  him ;  he  told  us  he  was  a  Pottawattomie ;  he 
had  two  horses;  we  directed  Mr.  Kinney  to  take  his 
gun  ;  he  appeared  unwilling  to  surrender  it,  and  showed 
a  disposition  to  shoot  him.  Upon  which  Colonel 
Ewing  drew  his  rifle  to  his  face,  to  make  ready  to  fire 
on  him,  if  he  did  not  give  it  up :  upon  which  he  gave 
it  to  Mr.  Kinney.  We  directed  Mr.  Kinney  to  mount 
his  horse,  and  take  the  rope  that  was  around  the  neck 
of  the  Indian's  horse,  and  lead  him;  the  Indian  made 
signs  to  us,  that  there  were  some  of  his  people  close 
by,  and  wished  to  see  them,  and  then  he  would  go 
with  us ;  to  which  proposition,  we  had  no  desire  to 
accede,  but  forced  him  on.  We  travelled  at  a  rapid 
rate.  As  we  were  in  the  midst  of  Indians,  we  con 
cluded  that  it  was  our  better  policy,  to  make  our  way 
back  to  the  camp  as  quick  as  possible.  We  at  this 
time  had  been  three  days  from  the  army,  and  could 
not  know  what  distance  we  had  separated  ourselves 
from  it.  We  calculated  that  we  would  not  be  able  to 
reach  it  until  the  following  day ;  but  we  were  very 
agreeably  disappointed,  as  we  met  the  army  after  going 
about  ten  miles ;  it  had  taken  the  line  of  march  the 
next  day  after  we  left  it,  and  marched  a  much  nigher 
way  than  our  pilot  took  us.  We  delivered  up  our 
prisoner,  who  underwent  an  examination  through 
an  interpreter  better  acquainted  with  the  Indian 


44  LATE    INDIAN    WAR 

language  than  Mr.  Kinney  ;  he  was  found  to  be  a  Pot- 
tawattomie, —  and  stated  that  Black  Hawk  with  his 
army  was  at  the  Pawpaw  Grove,24  two  days'  march 
up  the  river.  We  were  now  close  to  the  old 
Prophet's  Town,  where  General  Atkinson  had  ordered 
General  Whiteside  to  await  the  arrival  of  his  boats 
and  regulars,  (as  that  was  the  way  General  Atkin 
son,  with  his  regulars,  and  two  hundred  foot  volun 
teers  were  marching;)  unless  General  Whiteside, 
thought  upon  his  arrival  at  the  Prophet's  Village, 25 
it  would  be  actually  necessary  to  pursue,  in  order  to 
prevent  the  Indians  from  making  their  escape  ;  accord 
ingly  General  Whiteside  ordered  a  forced  march  that 
evening.  The  country  we  had  to  pass  through  was  an 
almost  continual  swamp,  —  no  alternative  being  left  for 
us,  we  put  our  horses  to  it,  sometimes  wading  ourselves 
up  to  our  waist,  and  not  unfrequently  getting  mired ; 
but  by  great  exertions  and  perseverance,  we  succeeded 
in  getting  through  without  losing  any  men  in  the 
swamps.  —  We  this  day  marched  until  dark  —  a  num 
ber  of  the  men  did  not  get  up  until  late  in  the  night, 
and  some  of  the  baggage  waggons  not  until  next  morn 
ing.  This  day  (May  I2th)  we  got  to  Dixon's  ferry,28 
on  Rock  river,  where  the  great  road 27  crosses  going  to 
the  Lead  Mines. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Meet  Maj.  Stillman  with  a  battalion  from  the  northern  counties 

—  Major  Stillman  takes  his  battalion,  goes  up  Rock  river,  in 
order   to   ascertain  the  movements  of  the   enemy  —  Falls  in 
with  them  —  has  a  battle,  and  is  defeated — Retreats  back 
to  General  Whiteside —  Colonel  Ewing,  Robert  Elackwell, 
Esq.  and  the  Author  sent  as  expresses  for  more  troops —  Gen 
eral  Wlafatndt  marches  his  Brigade  to  the  battle  ground — 
They  bury  the  dead  —  Return  back  to   Dixon's  —  Meet 
General  Atkinson  there  with  provision,  five  hundred  regulars 
and  two  hundred  foot  militia —  They  take  up  the  line  of 
march  after  the  enemy  —  March  to  Fox  river  —  The  In 
dians  kill  three  families  before  they  get  there  —  They  bury  the 
persons  killed —  Army  become  dissatisfied,  and  are  discharged 

—  Three  hundred  volunteer  to  guard  the  frontier  until  the 
new  levy  of  troops  arrive. 

ON  our  arrival  here  (Dixon's  Ferry)  we  found 
Major  Stillman  with  a  battalion  of  two  hundred 
and  seventy-five  men  awaiting  our  arrival :  they 
had  been  there  two  days  with  a  sufficient  supply  of 
ammunition  and  provisions  ;  our  provisions  at  this  time 
being  nearly  exhausted. 

Major  Stillman  considered  that  he  had  a  kind  of 
independent  corps,  and  did  not  wish  to  be  attached  to 
General  Whiteside's  Brigade.  He,  the  Major,  on  the 
next  morning  made  a  request  of  the  Governor,  that  he 
might  be  permitted  to  take  his  corps,  go  out  as  a  scout 
ing  party,  and  see  if  possible  whether  any  discoveries 
could  be  made  as  to  the  situation  of  the  enemy. 

Accordingly,  on  the  I2th  day  of  May,  Major  Still 
man  and  Major  Bailey28  received  orders  from  the 

[45] 


46  HISTORY     OF     THE 

Commander  in  Chief,  to  march  with  their  respective 
battalions  to  the  neighborhood  of  Old  Man's  Creek,29 
to  ascertain,  if  possible,  the  movements  of  the  enemy. 
On  the  morning  of  the  ijth,  Major  Stillman's  bat 
talion  took  up  their  line  of  march.  Major  Bailey  fol 
lowed  in  a  short  time  after ;  and  after  having  marched 
eight  or  ten  miles,  both  battalions  encamped.  The 
day  had  been  rainy,  and  other  circumstances  beyond 
the  control  of  officers  or  men,  had  a  tendency  to  retard 
their  movements. 

The  battalions  had  no  connection  with  each  other 
whatever,  previous  to  their  meeting  on  their  march  to 
Dixon's,  on  Rock  river.  There  they  received  orders 
to  march,  before  they  were  organized  into  a  regiment 
—  each  battalion  being  independent  of  the  other  — 
commanded  by  its  own  officers  —  and  three  of  those 
claiming  the  command  of  both  —  and  perhaps  with 
equal  justice. 

In  the  result,  however,  the  command  for  that  expe 
dition  was  conferred  on  Major  Stillman,  the  choice  of 
officers  to  be  referred  to  the  men  on  their  return. 

On  the  morning  of  the  I4th,  under  the  temporary 
organization  of  the  corps,  the  march  was  continued  in 
the  line,  secured  by  strong  advance  and  flank  guards. 
On  this  day's  march  several  fresh  trails  were  discovered 
during  the  forenoon  ;  and  at  12  o'clock  the  command 
ing  officer,  was  informed,  that  several  Indian  dogs  had 
been  seen  by  one  of  the  flank  guards,  and  shortly  after 
wards  two  Indians  were  seen. 

With  some  difficulty  occasioned  by  the  almost 
impassable  mires  of  the  creeks  which  the  corps  had  to 
cross,  the  march  was  continued  until  nearly  sunset, 
when  Col.  Strode30  of  the  advanced  guard,  who  had 
volunteered  his  services  on  this  occasion,  returned  to 
the  battalion  with  information  of  a  suitable  place  for 
encampment,  and  conducted  the  corps  to  the  point. 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR  47 

A  large  fresh  trail  was  discovered,  which  directed  its 
course  to  a  point  of  timber,  a  short  distance  to  the  left 
of  the  encampment.  Shortly  after  the  battalion  halted, 
and  while  busily  engaged  in  preparing  supper,  several 
horsemen  were  discovered  on  a  hill  about  half  a  mile 
in  front.  They  were  at  first  sight  taken  for  a  part  of 
the  enemy's  advance  guard.  Some  of  the  men  mounted 
their  horses,  and  rode  toward  them.  They  were  dis 
covered  to  be  Indians,  and  two  of  them  came  to  the 
camp,  professing  to  be  Pottawattomies  and  friends, 
but  on  the  approach  of  our  advance  the  Indians  gave 
a  whoop,  unfurled  a  red  flag  and  fell  back  at  full  speed. 
—Our  horsemen  followed,  and  after  a  chase  of  four 
miles  and  a  half,  overtook  them  in  a  low  marshy  piece 
of  ground,  where  a  sharp  firing  took  place.  Three 
Indians  were  left  dead,  and  several  were  dismounted; 
one  of  our  men  was  wounded  in  a  personal  combat, 
and  two  were  dismounted  and  lost  their  horses. 

The  Indians  were  driven  into  their  encampment, 
where  they  rallied  to  the  number  of  six  or  eight  hun 
dred,  and  cautiously  awaited  the  approach  of  our  main 
body.  Our  advance  fell  back,  and  joined  the  battal 
ion  -on  the  margin  of  the  low  ground,  where  the  firing 
first  commenced. 

An  Indian  approached  and  proposed  a  "  talk"  to  an 
officer  who  was  in  advance.  Major  Stillman,  with  the 
field  and  staff"  officers  together  with  Capt.  Eads,31  as  an 
interpreter,  went  forward  while  the  troops  were  advanc 
ing  by  heads  of  companies  through  the  marsh.  Capt. 
Eads,  who  had  been  in  front,  suddenly  wheeled  and 
exclaimed  that  the  line  of  Indians  extended  for  more 
than  a  mile. 

Major  Stillman  now  discovered  that  the  proposed 
"talk"  was  an  expedient  to  obtain  time,  the  more  com 
pletely  to  execute  their  plan  ;  for  the  enemy  were  now 
seen  flanking  him  right  and  left  in  great  numbers. 


48  HISTORY     OF    THE 

He  immediately  gave  orders  to  countermarch  and  form 
on  the  high  ground.  But  instead  of  countermarching, 
the  men  wheeled  about  in  their  places,  which  threw  the 
officers  all  in  the  rear,  and  fell  back.  The  foremost  of 
them  on  reaching  the  hard  ground  first,  were  able  to 
proceed  with  much  greater  rapidity  than  those  who 
were  yet  in  the  swamp,  and  by  the  time  the  officers 
reached  the  solid  ground  the  front  was  out  of  hearing. 
The  order  to  halt  and  form  was  only  heard  by  a  part 
of  each  company,  who  immediately  formed.  But  the 
enemy  knew  all  the  passes,  and  had  already  opened  a 
heavy  fire  on  both  flanks,  which  was  returned  with 
spirit  by  those  who  had  formed. 

It  was  now  found  necessary  to  retire  to  prevent  the 
enemy  from  entirely  surrounding  our  men,  which  had 
now  become  practicable.  The  retreat  was  then  kept 
up  with  occasional  halting  and  firing,  until  our  men 
reached  the  camp.  There  an  attempt  was  made  to 
maintain  our  ground.  Capt.  Barnes  32  had  nearly  suc 
ceeded  in  forming  his  company,  when  orders  were  given 
to  cross  the  creek  in  rear  of  the  camp.  This  order 
was  effected  by  sixty  or  seventy  men,  but  not  before 
the  enemy  had  got  possession  of  the  camp.  The  enemy 
then  set  up  a  tremendous  yell,  which  was  returned  by 
a  volley  of  musquetry  from  those  who  had  formed  in 
the  rear  of  the  camp,  —  this  silenced  the  war-whoop  in 
that  quarter,  but  in  a  moment  more  two  large  parties 
of  the  enemy,  who  had  crossed  the  creek  above  and 
below,  attacked  both  flanks  and  the  rear.  The  line 
was  broken,  and  each  man  took  his  own  course.  One 
party  broke  off  to  the  right  where  fell  some  of  those 
who  had  formed  at  the  creek.  Another  party  took  off 
to  the  left,  where  others  fell,  the  flanking  parties  of  the 
enemy  pursuing  them.  Those  of  the  men  who  took 
the  middle  course,  escaped  with  the  loss  of  two  killed, 
and  one  wounded. 


LATE    INDIAN    WAR  49 

The  enemy  kept  up  the  pursuit  for  twelve  or  four 
teen  miles.  The  men  arrived  at  Dixon's  ferry  in 
detached  squads,  from  one  o'clock  A.  M.  until  the 
roll  call  at  sunrise,  when  it  was  found  that  fifty-two 
were  missing :  these  continued  to  arrive  for  the  two 
succeeding  days,  until  the  number  missing  was  reduced 
to  eleven,  which  were  afterward  found  most  shockingly 
mangled. 

Capt.  Adams  evinced  the  most  undaunted  bravery ; 
he  vehemently  urged  the  men  to  maintain  the  ground. 
But  the  line  was  broken  and  he  himself  was  slain. 

Several  personal  rencounters  took  place.  In  one 
of  them  Joseph  Farris  and  his  brother  David,  were 
attacked  and  surrounded.  David  was  mounted,  and 
Joseph  whose  horse  failed  or  was  killed,  urged  him  to 
save  himself;  but  this  he  refused,  until  he  saw  him  fall, 
fighting,  and  himself  struck  from  his  horse  by  a  blow 
from  the  breech  of  a  gun.  He  returned  the  blow 
which  stiffened  the  savage  on  the  ground,  and  then 
broke  for  a  point  of  timber;  he  was  nearly  overtaken, 
when  he  called  for  assistance  from  the  timber,  which 
led  the  pursuers  to  fear  that  a  force  was  then  awaiting 
their  approach.  It  was  this  presence  of  mind  which 
saved  his  life;  for  the  enemy  immediately  wheeled  and 
retreated. 

Mr.  Samuel  Hackelton  had  pursued  an  uniformed 
Indian,  until  he  had  outstripped  his  comrades,  and  had 
discharged  his  gun  with  effect,  upon  one  who  was  dis 
mounted  immediately  before  him.  When  in  the  act 
of  reloading,  he  saw  a  horseman  pass,  by  the  name  of 
Maxfield,  who  discharged  his  piece,  tumbled  an  Indian 
from  his  pony,  and  kept  on  without  reloading.  He 
entered  the  marsh  where  it  was  with  difficulty  that 
his  horse  could  proceed  —  an  Indian  charged  upon 
him.  Hackelton  seeing  this,  flew  to  his  relief,  and 
by  a  blow  from  his  gun  parried  the  spear,  just  as  it 


50  HISTORY     OF     THE 

was  on  the  point  of  entering  his  (Maxfield's)  back. 
The  red  warrior  wheeled  to  plunge  the  spear  into  the 
breast  of  Hackelton,  which  he  avoided  by  springing 
from  his  horse,  who  passed  from  between  him  and  his 
antagonist,  when  he  again  met  the  spear  by  darting  at 
his  enemy,  which  caused  it  to  pass  between  his  left 
arm  and  side,  wounding  his  hand  as  he  attempted  to 
parry  the  blow.  He  then  seized  the  spear,  both  held, 
eyeing  each  other  for  a  moment,  when  the  Indian  being 
in  the  act  of  seizing  his  tomahawk,  Hackelton  grasped 
him  by  the  throat  and  belt  (the  blanket  being  thrown 
from  the  Indian's  shoulder)  and  now  a  deadly  struggle 
ensued.  The  Indian  was  large  and  muscular,  but 
after  a  severe  struggle,  fell  before  his  more  active  foe, 
and  broke  his  hold  to  regain  his  feet.  Hackelton  im 
proved  the  movement  to  draw  his  steel,  which  he 
plunged  into  the  breast  of  the  savage,  —  and  again 
they  fell  locked  in  deadly  embrace.  Maxfield,  whose 
horse  had  taken  fright  at  the  yell  of  the  Indian,  ran 
for  a  considerable  distance,  nearly  throwing  his  rider, 
readily  returned  to  repay  that  service  which  had  so 
generously  and  timely  been  rendered  him,  and  with 
his  bayonet  pinned  the  bleeding  savage  to  the  ground. 

Hackelton  having  lost  his  horse,  it  was  with  much 
difficulty  that  he  halted  a  horseman  to  take  him  from 
the  ground;  indeed  he  rode  with  him  but  a  few  rods, 
whilst  in  leaping  a  pool  or  branch,  the  horse  fell,  and 
Hackelton,  who  was  wounded  in  both  hands,  was 
thrown  into  the  water;  —  and  there  the  horseman  left 
him  to  shift  for  himself.  He  effected  his  escape  by 
running  two  or  three  miles,  when  he  was  relieved  by 
Doctor  Donaldson,  who  generously  lent  him  his  horse, 
whilst  he  went  on  foot,  for  the  distance  of  two  miles 
further,  where  Hackelton  succeeded  in  getting  a  pony, 
on  which  he  arrived  in  camp  without  further  injury. 

Major  Stillman  was  unfortunate  in  this  action;   he 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR  51 

lost  some  of  his  most  choice  men.  Captain  Adams, 
who  commanded  a  company  from  Tazewell  county; 
Major  Isaac  Perkins;83  John  Walters;  Cyrus  Childs;34 
Joseph  Farris;  Bird  Ellis  and  James  Doty,  were 
among  the  slain  in  this  battle.  There  were  four 
others,  but  I  have  not  got  in  possession  of  their 
names.  They  were  all  respectable  men. 

When  this  squadron  of  men  got  into  camp,  or  part 
of  them,  for  they  came  in  by  twos,  threes  and  fours, 
and  so  on,  all  night,  each  company  thought  the  rest 
were  all  killed,  and  reported  it  as  being  the  case. 

We  were  all  immediately  to  our  arms,  not  knowing 
but  that  Black  Hawk  and  all  his  band  were  in  close 
pursuit. 

Things  were  represented  in  their  worst  colors. 
Some  of  the  men  seemed  to  think  that  there  were  at 
least  two  thousand  Indians.  Others  thought  there 
were  not  more  than  one  thousand,  and  none  would 
fall  below  five  hundred;  but  scarcely  any  two  of  them 
could  agree  upon  any  one  statement.85 

It  was  a  complete  rout,  and  of  course  each  one  had 
to  shift  for  himself;  and  it  was  natural  for  them  to 
have  different  views  when  they  were  in  such  frightful 
condition.  Next  morning,  at  roll  call,  there  were  fifty- 
two  men  missing.  It  was  then  thought  there  was  no 
doubt  but  they  had  all  been  slain  in  the  action;  but 
to  the  great  joy  of  the  friends  of  the  missing,  they  all 
got  in,  in  the  course  of  three  days,  to  some  settlement 
or  other,  except  the  eleven  already  mentioned.  It 
appears  that  they  were  so  much  alarmed,  that  they 
took  different  directions,  and  some  went  a  contrary 
direction  from  the  army.  A  number  of  them,  it  is 
said,  came  very  near  starving  with  hunger  before  they 
got  to  any  settlement. 

Gen.  Whiteside,  when  the  news  of  the  defeat 
reached  camp,  made  preparations  to  march  with  the 


52  HISTORY     OF    THE 

main  army  as  soon  as  it  was  light;  accordingly  there 
were  two  men  sent  from  each  company  to  bring  in  our 
horses.  The  Governor  immediately  went  to  making 
out  despatches  for  more  troops,  so  soon  as  it  was  light. 
Gen.  Whiteside  had  a  few  beeves  killed  to  take  along, 
with  some  other  meat;  but  bread  was  out  of  the  ques 
tion,  as  we  had  then  been  without  this  necessary  article 
for  two  days. 36 

About  seven  o'clock  on  the  I5th  of  May,  Gen. 
Whiteside  took  up  the  line  of  march  at  the  head  of 
about  fourteen  hundred  effective  men  to  the  late  battle 
ground. 

Here  I  have  to  leave  the  main  army  for  a  while. 
Col.  John  Ewing,  Robert  Blackwell,  Esq.,  and  my 
self,  were  sent  as  express  bearers  for  more  troops,  and 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Horn,37  (who  was  Chaplain  to  the  army,) 
to  St.  Louis  for  a  supply  of  provisions.  Col.  Ewing 
was  sent  to  the  counties  bordering  on  the  Ohio  river; 
Esq.  Blackwell  to  the  counties  on  the  Wabash,  on  the 
east  side  of  the  State;  and  the  writer  to  the  southern 
counties  bordering  on  the  Kaskaskia  river. 

The  Governor  made  a  call  for  two  thousand  more 
troops,  besides  those  already  in  the  field.  His  order 
was  for  them  to  rendezvous  at  Beardstown  and  Hen- 
nepin,  both  on  the  Illinois  river — those  at  Beardstown 
to  meet  on  the  jd  of  June,  and  those  at  Hennepin  on 
the  loth.  The  volunteers  from  the  counties  I  went 
to,  were  to  meet  at  Beardstown;  and  those  from  the 
counties  to  which  Messrs.  Ewing  and  Blackwell  went, 
at  Hennepin.  We  started  on  the  ifth  of  May,  and 
rode  with  all  the  celerity  we  possibly  could.  When 
our  horses  gave  out  we  pressed  others.  I  arrived  at 
Kaskaskia  on  the  22d,  a  distance  of  about  three  hun 
dred  and  forty  miles,  in  seven  days.  We  well  knew 
the  danger  our  frontier  settlements  were  in.  Many  of 
our  fellow  citizens  had  been  slain  in  battle,  who  were 


LATE    INDIAN    WAR  53 

in  the  field  for  the  defence  of  our  country;  and  our 
unsuspecting  frontier  was  then  exposed  to  the  ruthless 
tomahawk  and  scalping  knife  of  those  demons  in  hu 
man  shape.  We  knew  their  mode  of  warfare  was  to 
steal  upon  the  fearful  settler,  in  the  shades  and  stillness 
of  night,  and  there  imbrue  their  hands  in  human  blood, 
paying  no  attention  to  age  or  sex.  So  no  obstacle 
stopped  us  on  our  way. 

I  must  here  relate  a  small  anecdote,  which  occurred 
between  a  good  old  woman  and  myself.  On  the  night 
of  the  3  ist  of  May  I  staid  at  Covington.  I  think  I 
never  heard  such  a  night's  rain  in  all  my  life.  The 
next  morning,  Esq.  Bradsby,  the  gentleman  with  whom 
I  staid  all  night,  informed  me  that  I  would  have 
several  creeks  to  swim  on  the  way  from  thence  to  Kas- 
kaskia,  and  it  still  continued  raining.  I  replied  that 
I  would  try  it  at  all  events.  I  had  not  travelled  more 
than  four  miles  before  I  found  his  words  verified;  but 
to  my  great  satisfaction,  I  found  that  the  horse  I  rode 
was  an  excellent  swimmer — so  I  stopped  for  none  of 
the  creeks.  The  weather  being  very  cold  for  the  time 
of  year,  I  called  at  a  house  to  empty  the  water  out  of 
my  shoes,  and  to  wring  my  socks.  An  elderly  looking 
lady,  seeing  me  wet  all  over,  and  hearing  me  say  I  had 
swam  all  the  creeks  between  that  place  and  Covington, 
and  that  I  had  come  from  there  that  morning,  looked 
on  me  (as  I  thought,)  with  an  eye  of  suspicion,  and 
immediately  began  to  make  some  inquiries  about  my 
embassy,  that  I  should  not  have  relished  quite  so  well 
had  they  come  from  any  other  source,  than  a  good  old 
simple  woman.  I  soon  found  that  she  was  not  to  be 
put  off",  but  must  have  the  whole  history  of  my  busi 
ness, —  and  what  it  was  that  made  me  swim  the  creeks. 
So  that  while  I  was  trying  to  get  some  of  the  water 
out  of  my  socks,  I  informed  her  that  I  was  the  bearer 
of  an  express  for  more  men  to  go  against  the  Indians; 


54  HISTORY     OF     THE 

this  roused  the  good  old  dame's  curiosity  to  the  high 
est  pitch.  I  then  gave  her  the  particulars  in  as  brief 
a  manner  as  I  could.  When  I  was  done,  she  asked, 
if  I  did  not  get  a  great  bounty  for  my  services?  "Yes," 
I  replied,  "I  do." --She  then  wanted  to  know  how 
much?  I  replied  "the  honor  of  serving  my  country." 
Says  she  "my  friend,  I  think  you  are  in  poor  business, 
and  if  that  is  all  you  get  I  think  you  had  best  go  back 
home."  But  I  did  not  take  the  old  lady's  advice.  I 
got  to  Kaskaskia  that  night.  The  people  had  got  the 
news  by  way  of  steamboat  that  was  at  St.  Louis  when 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Horn  arrived  their  (there)  after  provi 
sion. 

Colonel  Stephens,  commandant  in  Randolph  county, 
despatched  Mr.  Briggs  (who  afterwards  became  Cap 
tain  Briggs)  at  9  o'clock  in  the  evening,  with  orders 
for  the  men  to  meet  on  the  24th,  and  volunteer  to  the 
number  of  one  hundred  from  this  county,  and  that  it 
they  were  not  enough  that  would  volunteer,  he  would 
be  obliged  to  cause  a  draft  to  be  made.  But  it  was 
here  as  it  was  in  every  other  part  of  the  State,  there 
were  plenty  of  men  who  saw  that  their  country  needed 
their  services;  and  they  very  willingly  forsook  their 
homes,  wives  and  children,  and  turned  out  to  defend 
the  rights  of  their  brethren  and  fellow  citizens  that 
were  threatened  to  be  trampled  on  by  the  merciless 
savages. 

I  here  must  return  to  General  Whiteside  and  the 
volunteers,  that  marched  on  the  morning  of  the  I5th 
to  the  battle  ground  to  bury  the  dead  that  had  been 
slain  in  battle;  they  got  there  that  evening,  found  the 
bodies  of  eleven  of  our  citizens  scalped  and  mangled  in 
the  most  barbarous  manner  —  the  heads  of  some  were 
cut  off,  and  others  with  their  hearts  cut  out,  legs  and 
arms  generally  cut  off.  General  Whiteside  had  their 
remains  consigned  to  their  mother  earth  in  as  decent 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR  55 

a  manner  as  could  be  expected  in  a  wilderness  country. 
The  next  day  General  Whiteside  had  to  return  with 
the  army  back  to  Dixon's  on  Rock  river,  on  account 
of  his  scarcity  of  provisions,  where  General  Atkinson 
met  them  with  a  supply. 

:  On  Saturday  the  I9th,  the  army,  amounting  to  about 
twenty-four  hundred  men,  regulars  and  militia,  started 
up  Rock  river,  in  pursuit  of  the  Indians.  But  owing 
to  a  variety  of  causes,  which  I  am  not  able  to  lay  be 
fore  the  public,  the  army  became  dissatisfied,  and 
wished  to  be  discharged  from  the  service, —  so  nothing 
was  effected  on  this  campaign.38 — The  general  cry  with 
the  men  was,  that  they  wished  to  return  home.  This 
was  too  at  a  time  when  their  services  were  most  needed, 
for  the  war  now  had  begun  in  all  its  horrid  shape. 

Immediately  after  Stillman's  defeat,  the  Indians  com 
menced  their  well  known  practice  of  warfare.  They 
went  about  the  2Oth  of  May  to  the  houses  of  Messrs. 
Hall,  Daviess  and  Pennigrew,39  and  there  killed  fifteen 
men,  women  and  children,  and  scalped  them  all.  But 
even  this  was  not  enough  to  satisfy  those  blood  thirsty 
demons ;  they  mutilated  them  in  the  most  inhuman 
and  .indecent  manner  that  ever  was  witnessed.  It  is 
enough  to  make  the  blood  chill  in  a  person's  veins,  to 
think  how  those  merciless  hell  hounds  served  those 
that  were  not  in  the  slightest  degree  able  to  help  them 
selves.  After  every  indecency  that  could  be  practised 
on  their  persons,  the  women  were  hung  up  by  their 
feet.  The  helpless  children  literally  chopped  to  pieces. 
The  houses  were  burned,  the  furniture  all  destroyed, 
the  stock  killed,  even  the  barn-yard  fowls. — The  work 
of  destruction  and  devastation  had  now  begun,  the 
blood  of  helpless  women  and  children  had  been  spilt. 

Two  young  and  beautiful  women  were  taken  pris 
oners  by  these  monsters  in  human  shape — for  it  appeared 
that  all  the  bodies  of  the  missing  were  found,  except 


56  HI  STORY    OF    THE 

these  two  young  women,  who  were  the  daughters  of 
the  unfortunate  family  of  Hall,  who,  with  his  wife  and 
children,  had  become  an  easy  prey  to  these  barbarians, 
save  two  boys  who  were  in  the  field  at  work. 

Mr.  Hall  and  Mr.  Daviess  both  had  large  families. 
Mr.  Pennigrew,  his  companion,  and  children,  shared 
the  same  fate. 

This  threw  the  country  into  the  most  perfect  state 
of  alarm  and  dismay.  This  horrid  act  was  done  on 
Indian  Creek,  which  empties  into  Fox  river.  The 
families  lived  about  fifteen  miles  north  of  Ottawa. 

Gen.  Whiteside  and  his  brigade  witnessed  this  horrid 
sight  soon  after  it  was  perpetrated,  and  helped  to  con 
sign  them  to  their  mother  earth,40  which  is  the  last 
duty  that  we  can  pay  to  human  beings  in  this  world. 
Still,  his  brigade  cried  out,  "  Our  term  of  service  is 
nearly  expired,  and  we  wish  to  be  discharged." 

Accordingly,  Gov.  Reynolds,  on  the  ayth  and  28th, 
discharged  all  the  volunteers  that  were  then  in  the 
field,  at  Ottawa,  within  fifteen  miles  of  the  place  where 
the  Indians  had  just  slain  fifteen  of  our  citizens,  and 
treated  them  in  the  manner  already  described.  This 
was  enough  to  rend  the  hearts  of  the  neighborhood  in 
this  part  of  the  frontier;  but  the  hearts  of  a  few  could 
not  think  of  leaving  so  many  valuable  citizens  to  per 
ish  by  the  scalping  knife  and  tomahawk.  They  turned 
out  a  second  time  to  guard  the  frontier,  until  the  new 
levy  of  troops  could  arrive  to  their  protection.  I  am 
sorry  that  I  could  not  with  propriety  give  you  the 
names  of  all  those  who  volunteered  a  second  time ;  but 
it  is  due  to  those  who  did  so,  to  say  it  was  the  love  of 
country  alone  that  influenced  them  to  do  so. 

Gen.  Samuel  Whiteside  was  one  who  saw  that  his 
country  still  needed  his  services.  He  here  was  not 
above  shouldering  his  rifle,  and  stepping  into  the  ranks 
to  defend  this  beautiful  country,  where  there  had  just 


LATE    INDIAN    WAR  57 

perished  some  of  its  choice  citizens  by  those  merciless 
savages.  The  brave  and  patriotic  Henry  [,]  Fry,41  Sny- 
der,  James  of  Bond  county,  and  many  others  whom  I 
cannot  mention,  were  influenced  by  the  same  feeling. 
They  at  once  saw  that  the  devastating  hand  of  the  sav 
age  had  begun  the  works  of  death  and  destruction  in 
this  region  of  the  country,  and  well  knew  that  if  those 
frontiers  were  not  guarded,  its  helpless  citizens  would 
become  an  easy  prey  to  those  demons  that  know  no 
bounds  to  their  cruelty.  The  smoke  of  the  cabins  of 
those  that  were  slain,  was  scarcely  out  of  sight,  and 
to  leave  those  that  were  still  living  to  share  the  same 
fate,  was  more  than  they  could  think  of  doing. 

Accordingly,  this  little  band  of  patriots  was  formed 
into  a  regiment,  under  the  command  of  our  noble  Fry, 
who  never  has  disgraced  his  country,  nor  himself  as  a 
commander.  Our  much  beloved  James  D.  Henry  was 
elected  Lieut.  Colonel,  and  Mr.  John  Thomas,  Major. 
There  were  six  companies  composing  this  regiment. 
The  following  named  gentlemen  were  the  officers  and 
staff.  The  Captains  I  will  set  down  agreeably  to  their 
rank. 

A,  W.  Snyder;  McFadden ;  Smith;  Benjamin 
James;  Elijah  lies;  and  James  Rolls,42  were  the  six 
Captains  of  this  Regiment.  The  Lieutenants  were  as 
follows:  James  [Jesse]  M.  Harrison,  ist,  and  Henry 
Roberts,  2d  Lieutenant  in  Capt.  Iles's  company;  Cal- 
vert  Roberts,  ist  Lieutenant  in  Capt.  James's  com 
pany  ;  James  Scott,  G.  F.  [Radford  M.]  Wyatt,  W. 
Shirley,  Jacob  Waggoner,  Oliver  Bangs,  and  [W.  F.] 
Walker.  I  cannot  place  the  last  Lieutenants  to  their 
proper  places. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Capt.  Snyder  has  a  battle  with  the  enemy — Arrives  at  Head 
Quarters  ^  and  he  and  his  company  are  discharged — New  levy 
of  troops  rendezvous  at  Eeardstown  and  Hennepin — Fort 
Wilbourn  (or  Fort  Horn)  built — //  becomes  Head  Quarters 

—  The   Volunteers   organized  into   three  Brigades — Attack 
on   Apple   River  Fort — A  party  of  Indians    appear  near 
Fort   Hamilton^   and  kill  two  men — Gen.   Dodge  pursues; 
overtakes  them;  and  kills  the  whole  party — Capt.  Stephenson 

falls  in  with  another  war  party — Has  an  engagement — 
Loses  three  men,  and  himself  wounded — Major  Dement  has  a 
battle  with  the  enemy —  The  three  Brigades  take  different 
directions — Gen.  Atkinson  marches  on  Rock  river  with 
Gen.  Henry's  brigade —  The  three  Brigades  meet  at  lake 
Kushkanongj  likewise  a  squadron  under  Gen.  Dodge  from 
Michigan  Territory —  They  continue  for  several  days  scour 
ing  the  country  in  search  of  the  enemy — Move  up  to  the 
burnt  village  on  White  TVater —  Col.  Dunn  wounded  by  a 
sentinel — A  regular  shot  by  an  Indian  while  fishing — Gen. 
Atkinson  moves  down  to  lake  Kushkanong,  and  builds  a  Fort 

—  The   second  and  third  Brigades  and  Col.  Dodge's  squad 
ron  proceed  to  Fort   Winnebago  for  provision —  Gen.    Posey 
sent  to  Fort  Hamilton — Our  horses  take  a  fright  at  Fort 
Winnebago,  and  run  away. 

THIS  band  of  patriots  continued  here  and  guarded 
the  country,  until  the  new  levy  of  troops  could 
arrive  and  be  organized.     And  many  of  them 
still  continued  until  the  end  of  the  last  campaign. 

It  will  be  recollected  that  I  stated  in  a  preceding 
page  that  A.  W.  Snyder  was  elected  Captain  of  one  of 
the  six  companies,  who  volunteered  a  second  time  to 
defend  the  northern  frontier.  Capt.  Snyder  was 

[58] 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR  59 

constantly  on  the  march  with  his  men,  between  Galena, 
and  Fox  and  Rock  rivers,  guarding  the  frontiers  from 
being  taken  by  surprise  by  the  Indians,  as  it  was  well 
known  that  they  were  prowling  about  through  the 
country,  as  they  had  done  considerable  mischief  upon 
the  northern  frontier,  and  particularly  in  the  mining 
country,  and  on  the  road  leading  from  Fort  Clark  to 
Galena. 

Capt.  Snyder  thought  that  it  would  be  best  to  range 
between  Galena  and  Rock  and  Fox  rivers;  as  those 
settlements  were  so  exposed  as  easily  to  become  a  prey 
to  their  barbarity,  should  they  be  suffered  to  make  an 
attack  upon  them. 

On  the  night  of  the  iyth  of  June,43  Captain  Snyder 
and  his  company  were  encamped  about  thirty-five  miles 
east  of  Galena,  and  not  far  distant  from  the  Burr  Oak 
grove.  On  that  night  his  sentinels  were  fired  upon 
by  the  Indians;  but  the  cowardly  wretches  did  not 
stand  to  fight.  They  fired  and  retreated  immediately. 
Next  morning  Captain  Snyder  took  his  company  and 
went  in  pursuit  of  them  with  all  possible  speed.  He 
pursued  them  to  their  camp.  But  they  first  discovered 
his  approach,  and  took  to  flight,  but  he  was  not  to  be 
dodged.  It  was  now  day,  and  he  had  the  light  of  the 
sun  to  see  how  to  trail  in  pursuit  of  them.  His  men 
were  mounted  on  horseback;  and  the  word  was — "not 
to  spare  them."  They  were  put  to  the  whip  and  spur; 
and  in  a  very  short  time  Captain  Snyder  overtook 
them.  But  they  sought  refuge  in  a  ditch,  or  hole  in 
the  ground  to  fight  from,  in  order  to  sell  their  lives  as 
dear  as  possible.  As  it  appears  there  were  but  four 
of  them,  they  in  all  probability  were  out  as  spies 
from  the  main  body  of  Indians.  After  they  took 
shelter  in  this  hole,  or  gully,  there  was  but  a  very 
slight  prospect  of  killing,  except  by  a  charge  upon 
them;  so  Captain  Snyder  surrounded  the  hole  and 


60  HISTORY    OF    THE 

ordered  his  men  to  charge  upon  them, — which  order 
was  promptly  obeyed.  The  Indians  fired  upon  them 
as  they  charged,  and  wounded  one  man  mortally. 
Col.  Semple  was  one  of  the  number  who  charged 
upon  them  in  this  dangerous  place,  and  killed  one 
with  his  pistol.  They  killed  them  all  in  this  place  of 
supposed  security,  except  one,  and  him  they  killed 
within  a  few  steps  of  it,  after  he  had  got  out.  The 
wounded  man  was  by  the  name  of  Macomson.  They 
now  had  to  make  a  litter  to  carry  him  on,  as  it  was 
impossible  for  him  to  ride;  accordingly  Capt.  Snyder 
had  one  made,  and  eight  men  detailed  to  carry  it;  that 
being  the  only  way  they  could  take  him  along,  for  it 
was  perceived  that  he  could  survive  but  a  short  time. 
Captain  Snyder  thought  that  it  would  be  best  to 
take  up  the  line  of  march  toward  the  camp,  where  he 
had  been  stationed  occasionally,  at  Kellogg's  grove,  in 
order  that  if  Macomson  died,  he  might  have  a  chance 
to  pay  the  last  duty  that  man  can  pay  to  his  fellow 
men  upon  earth; — or  if  there  was  any  prospect  of  his 
recovery,  that  there  might  be  no  means  left  untried  to 
save  his  life: — but  this  was  not  destined  to  be  the 
case.  They  proceeded  on  until  the  men  became  very 
much  fatigued,  and  thirsty  for  want  of  water;  likewise 
they  thought  he  was  dying:  so  they  stopt  to  see  what 
would  be  his  fate;  also  to  search  round,  and  if  possible 
get  some  water,  as  they  were  by  this  time  very  thirsty, 
having  been  in  the  chase  ever  since  it  was  clearly  light. 
In  their  eagerness  to  obtain  this  indispensable  article 
to  sustain  life,  they  scattered  in  different  directions  in 
search  of  it;  not  dreaming  or  apprehending  the  slight 
est  danger  of  being  taken  by  surprise.  But  in  this 
they  were  mistaken.  They  were  fired  upon  by  about 
seventy  or  eighty  Indians.  Two  gentlemen,  one  by 
the  name  of  Scott,  the  other  McDaniel,44  together 
with  their  horses,  were  killed  the  first  fire,  and  a 


LATE    INDIAN    WAR  61 

gentleman  by  the  name  of  Cornelius  badly  wounded. 
The  men  being  surprised  so  suddenly,  became  very 
much  alarmed,  and  some  of  them  commenced  a  retreat. 
Captain  Snyder  perceiving  it,  ordered  a  halt  and 
endeavoured  to  form  them  for  action.  Some  of  them 
so  panic  struck,  were  still  for  taking  to  flight.  Capt. 
Snyder  then  requested  General  Samuel  Whiteside, 
who  was  then  in  his  company  in  the  capacity  of  a  pri 
vate,  to  try  and  assist  him,  to  bring  the  men  to  a  stand. 
Gen.  Whiteside  then  cried  aloud  that  he  would  shoot 
the  first  man  that  attempted  to  retreat.  They  then 
formed,  and  the  battle  became  warm  on  both  sides, 
which  lasted  a  considerable  time,  both  the  Indians  and 
our  men  taking  the  advantage  of  trees. 

General  Whiteside  being  an  excellent  marksman,  took 
a  cool  and  deliberate  aim  at  the  Indian  Commander, 
who  had  been  yelling  and  hallooing  all  the  time  of  the 
action.  As  soon  as  his  gun  fired,  the  Indian  was  heard 
no  more  ;  and  his  horse  was  immediately  seen  without 
the  rider.  The  Indians  now  began  to  retreat,  which 
told  us  plainly  that  General  Whiteside  had  killed  their 
commander.  The  panic  had  still  fast  hold  of  a  part  of 
our  company.  They  refused  to  pursue  them  further. 
Captain  Snyder,  General  Whiteside  and  Colonel  Sem- 
ple,  with  some  others  endeavored  to  persuade  the  men 
to  pursue  them,  but  it  was  impossible  to  get  a  part  of 
them  to  consent ;  they  peremptorily  refused.  When 
Captain  Snyder  perceived  that  it  was  impossible  to 
effect  anything  with  a  part  of  his  small  band ;  he 
ordered  a  march  back  to  their  camp.  They  did  not 
march  far  before  they  met  Major  Riley,  with  a  detach 
ment  of  regulars. 

After  a  consultation  between  Riley  and  Snyder,  they 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  then  too  late  to  follow 
the  Indians  that  night.  They  all  then  returned  to  their 
encampment  and  abandoned  the  idea  of  further  pursuit. 


62  HISTORY     OF     THE 

They  did  not  know  but  that  Black  Hawk  and  his 
whole  army  were  close  by,  and  if  so  small  a  band  would 
fall  in  with  them,  they  might  fall  an  easy  prey  to  their 
vengeance,  for  at  that  time  it  would  have  been  almost 
impossible  to  have  made  good  their  retreat,  for  they 
had  then  been  about  sixty  days  almost  constantly  on 
the  march,  and  their  horses  a  greater  part  of  them 
without  corn,  or  any  food  except  grass.  This  was  a 
prudent  step. 

Captain  Snyder  immediately  marched  his  men  to 
head  quarters,  which  was  Fort  Wilbourn,  where  the 
new  levy  of  troops  had  all  assembled,  and  had  been 
organized  into  three  Brigades;  under  officers  hereafter 
to  be  mentioned. 

Captain  Snyder  made  a  report  of  his  battle  to  Gen 
eral  Atkinson,  and  having  been  much  worn  out  by 
fatigue,  and  this  his  second  term  of  service  having 
expired,  he  and  his  company  were  discharged,  and  they 
all  retired  once  more  to  their  respective  homes  to 
embrace  their  wives  and  children,  and  enjoy  the  happi 
ness  of  sitting  by  their  own  firesides,  without  the  fear 
of  being  disturbed  by  the  shrieks  and  yell  of  the  sav 
age;  and  those  who  had  fought,  no  doubt,  felt  happy 
that  they  had  borne  a  part  of  the  hardships  of  war,  in 
defence  of  their  country's  rights.  But  men  who  will 
not  fight  in  such  a  cause,  hardly  can  be  said  to  have 
good  and  noble  feelings.  All  honorable  men  are  gen 
erally  brave, —  but  a  dishonorable  man  has  nothing  to 
stimulate  him  to  be  brave. 

I  am  in  possession  of  the  names  of  some  of  those 
who  did  not  do  their  duty  in  this  battle,  —  but  I  will 
forbear  mentioning  any  of  their  names ;  for  it  may  be 
that  they  may  have  respectable  fathers  and  mothers,  or 
wives  and  children,  that  might  be  seriously  injured  by 
the  exposure.  So  I  will  forbear  saying  anything  that 
would  tend  to  injure  the  feelings  of  an  honorable  and 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR  63 

dutiful  son,  or  cause  a  pang  to  reach  the  heart  of  an 
affectionate  wife,  father  or  mother.  But  it  never  is 
wrong,  or  does  any  harm  to  eulogize  those  who  act 
honorably  and  brave.  There  were  some  such  spirits, 
by  all  accounts,  who  acted  that  part  in  this  little  band, 
that  were  engaged  in  the  battle,  of  which  I  have  just 
been  informing  the  reader  about.  Amongst  them  were 
General  Samuel  Whiteside,  Colonel  Semple  and  Cap 
tain  Snyder  himself.  It  is  stated  by  all  that  they  acted 
with  bravery  and  fearlessness ;  and  some  others  that  I 
am  not  able  to  name  at  this  time. 

The  number  of  Indians  that  were  killed  in  this 
engagement  could  not  be  ascertained.  As  their  num 
ber  was  so  far  superior  to  that  of  the  company  of  Cap 
tain  Snyder,  it  was  thought  expedient  to  desist,  and 
not  stay  to  hunt  them  up.  But  from  every  account 
we  could  get,  there  were  a  number,  besides  their  com 
mander  that  I  have  already  mentioned.  The  men  on 
our  part  that  were  killed,  were  choice  citizens,  and  all 
had  families,  but  one.  The  man  who  was  wounded  in 
the  first  skirmish  had  to  share  the  same  fate  of  the 
rest  who  were  killed.  It  was  out  of  the  power  of  men 
or  officers  to  save  him  from  becoming  a  prey  to  their 
vengeance. 

I  shall  have  to  dismiss  this  campaign  for  the  pres 
ent,  and  take  up  the  second  levy  of  troops. 

Those  counties,  that  I  as  an  express  bearer  was  sent 
to,  to  raise  more  troops,  were  ordered  to  have  them 
ready  for  marching  in  due  time  so  as  to  be  at  Beards- 
town,  the  place  of  rendezvous,  on  the  third  day  of 
June.  Accordingly  in  compliance  with  said  order,  the 
following  companies  rendezvoused  at  that  place,  viz : 
From  Clinton  county,  a  company  of  the  number  of 
sixty-eight,  commanded  by  Captain  A.  Bankson ; — 
from  Washington  county,  a  company  containing  fifty- 
three,  commanded  by  Captain  Burnes  ;  —  from 


64  HISTORY    OF    THE 

Randolph,  two  companies,  containing  each  fifty  men, 
commanded  by  Captains  Feaman  and  Briggs.  The 
companies  after  their  arrival,  organized  themselves  into 
a  squadron,  and  for  their  officers  elected  Theophilus  W. 
Smith,  of  the  county  of  Madison,  their  Lieutenant 
Colonel;  and  Sidney  Breese,  of  the  county  of  Ran 
dolph,  Major.45 

On  the  fifth  day  of  June,  the  commandant  (Col. 
Smith,)  appointed  the  following  persons  to  form  his 
staff,  viz:  John  Omelvany,  Adjutant;  Benjamin  Bond, 
Paymaster;  William  H.  Terrell,  Surgeon;  J.  B. 
Logan,48  Surgeon's  mate;  C.  V.  Halstead,  Quarter 
Master;  John  Hawthorn,  Hospital  Steward. 

Colonel  Smith  after  procuring  provision,  and 
waggons  to  transport  them,  took  up  a  line  of  march 
(6th  May,)  for  General  Atkinson's  head  quarters  at 
Fort  Wilbourn  —  a  small  fort  erected  by  Rev.  Mr. 
Horn,47  as  a  place  to  secure  provision  he  had  procured 
at  St.  Louis ;  —  at  which  place  the  troops  from  the 
different  parts  of  the  State  assembled,  also  some  from 
the  State  of  Indiana.  Although  General  Atkinson 
could  not  receive  them  on  account  of  there  having  been 
a  sufficient  number  from  our  own  State,  and  the  scarcity 
of  provision.  Yet  she  certainly  deserves  great  applause 
for  her  patriotism  in  sending  to  our  assistance. 

Here  all  the  volunteers  were  organized  into  three 
Brigades,  which  being  the  I5th  May.  Doctor  Alex 
ander  Posey  was  elected  Brigadier  General,  of  the  first 
Brigade ;  Willis  Hargrave,  Colonel,  of  the  first 
regiment ;  William  J.  Gatewood,  Lieutenant  Colonel ; 
and  James  Hampton,  [Huston]  Major;  all  from  the 
county  of  Gallatin  :  Colonel  John  Ewing,  from  Frank 
lin  county,  was  elected  Colonel,  of  the  second  regiment; 
—  Storm,  Lieut.  Colonel;  and  Johnson  Wren,  Major; 
the  third  regiment  under  the  command  of  Colonel 
Samuel  Leach;  Lieutenant,  Col.  Campbell;  and  Major 


LATE     INDIAN    WAR  65 

[Joseph]  Shelton.  John  Dement48  of  Vandalia  was 
elected  to  the  command  of  the  spy  battalion. 

General  Posey  appointed  Major  Alexander  P.  Hall 
and  B.  A.  Clark  as  his  Aids-de-camp,  and  Major 
[John]  Raum,  Brigade  Inspector. 

The  second  Brigade  from  the  eastern  side  of  the  State 
commanded  by  Brigadier  General  M.  K.  Alexander; 
Major  Wm.  B.  Archer,  was  appointed  by  the  General 
his  Aid-de-camp;  and  Major  Sheledy,  Brigade 
Inspector.  It  also  consisted  of  three  regiments,  and  a 
battalion  of  spies.  The  first  regiment  under  the  com 
mand  of  Colonel  J.  M.  Blackburn ;  Lieutenant  Colonel, 
Wm.  Wyatt;  and  Major  Jas.  S.  Jones.  The  second 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  Samuel  Adams ;  Lieu 
tenant  Colonel  J.  W.  Barlow;  and  Major  George 
Bowers.  The  third  under  the  command  of  Colonel 
Moses  [Hosea]  Pierce;  Lieutenant  Colonel  C.  Jones; 
Major  William  Eubanks.  The  battalion  of  spies  under 
the  command  of  Major  William  McHenry. 

The  third  Brigade  from  the  western  side  of  the  State 
commanded  by  Brigadier  General  James  D.  Henry ; 
who  appointed  Major  Alexander  P.  Field,  his  Aid-de 
camp  ;  Major  Murray  McConnel,  Brigade  Inspector. 
This  brigade  had  four  regiments  and  a  spy  battalion. 
The  first  regiment  under  command  of  Col.  S.  T. 
Mathews ;  Lieutenant  Colonel  James  Gillham ;  and 
Major  James  Evans.  The  second,  commanded  by 
Colonel  Jacob  Fry;  Lieutenant  Colonel  J.  Smith;  and 
Major  Benjamin  James.  The  third  under  command 
of  Colonel  Gabriel  Jones;  Lieutenant  Colonel  The- 
ophilus  W.  Smith  ; 49  and  Major  Sidney  Breese.  The 
fourth  under  command  of  Colonel  James  Collins; 
Lieutenant  Colonel  P.  H.  Sharp ;  and  Major  William 
Miller.  The  battalion  of  spies  under  the  command  of 
Major  W.  L.  D.  Ewing. 

The  aggregate  strength  of  the  three  Brigades  being 


66  HISTORY     OF     THE 

about  three  thousand  two  hundred,  besides  three 
companies  of  Rangers50  that  were  left  to  protect  the 
settlements  west  of  the  Illinois  river,  and  the  public 
stores  at  such  points  as  it  was  necessary  to  leave 
provisions.  This  force,  with  the  volunteers  from  the 
mining  country,  together  with  the  regulars,  made  about 
four  thousand  effective  men. 

About  this  time  the  Indians  attacked  a  fort  in  the 
mining  country,  known  by  the  name  of  Apple  River 
Fort.51  In  this  attack  the  citizens  suffered  great  loss  by 
the  Indians  killing  their  stock  and  destroying  property; 
which  the  following  letter  from  Captain  Flack  will 
more  fully  show,  as  he  was  in  the  fort  during  the 
engagement.  It  is  in  the  following  words,  to  wit : 

"Mr.   John  A.   Wakefield: 

"  SIR  :  —  In  reply  to  your  request,  I  proceed  to  give  an 
account  of  the  attack  of  the  Indians  on  Apple  River  Fort. 
Apple  River  Fort  is  situated  about  fourteen  miles  east  of 
Galena.  It  was  on  the  24th  of  June,  when  harmony  and 
peace  appeared  to  reign  through  the  fort,  the  day  before  a 
waggon  had  been  despatched  to  Galena  for  the  purpose  of 
bringing  a  supply  of  lead  and  meat,  which  had  run  short  in  the 
afternoon  on  Sunday,  the  waggon  arrived  with  a  supply  of 
meat  and  lead.  About  the  time  the  team  was  removed  from 
the  waggon,  the  ladies  of  the  fort  had  assembled  to  go  to  the 
river  to  hunt  goose-berries;  after  starting  they  discovered  coming 
from  towards  Galena  three  men,  and  being  anxious  to  hear  the 
news  from  there,  they  concluded  to  wait,  expecting  to  hear 
something  about  the  Indians.  When  they  arrived  they  proved 
to  be  men  on  an  express  from  Galena  going  to  Dixon's  ferry 
on  Rock  river ;  one  of  the  men  was  a  Mr.  F.  Dixon,  the 
other  two  I  have  no  recollection  of  their  names.  They  were 
all  intoxicated  ;  after  coming  up  they  recollected  that  their 
guns  were  empty;  one  of  the  men  dismounted  and  charged  his 
piece,  the  other  two  would  not ;  the  man,  after  loading  his  gun, 
mounted  his  horse  and  they  all  rode  off  in  full  speed,  whooping 
and  hallooing  towards  Dixon's  ferry.  When  they  had  got  to 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR  67 

the  distance  of  about  three  hundred  yards,  the  one  that  carried 
the  loaded  gun  was  some  fifty  or  sixty  yards  ahead  of  the  other 
two,  when  a  large  number  of  Indians,  being  in  ambush;  arose 
and  fired  upon  him;  when  he  fell  from  his  horse,  shot  through 
the  thigh;  his  horse  fled  and  left  him;  he  arose  and  fired  at 
the  Indians  at  about  the  distance  of  fifteen  steps,  but  his  fire 
took  no  effect  as  was  ever  ascertained.  The  Indians  made 
towards  him  with  their  hatchets,  when  the  other  two  coming 
up  to  his  relief  with  their  empty  guns,  they  presented  their 
guns,  which  caused  the  Indians  to  halt  till  the  wounded  man 
had  got  between  them  and  the  fort,  they  kept  giving  back  with 
their  guns  presented  till  the  wounded  man  gained  the  fort. 
The  firing  of  the  guns  gave  the  alarm  just  in  time  for  the 
people  to  make  their  retreat  to  the  fort. 

"Apple  River  Fort  had  once  been  an  extensive  smelting 
establishment,  and  had  become  a  considerable  village,  the 
fort  being  small,  families  lived  in  these  houses  in  day  time, 
and  every  one  had  his  own  to  himself,  but  at  night  all  repaired 
to  the  fort  for  safety. 

u  The  Indians  pursued  these  men  within  firing  distance  of 
the  fort,  all  on  horseback,  they  rode  up,  dismounted  and 
hitched  their  horses,  and  1  think  in  about  three  minutes  the 
fort  was  surrounded  by  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  Indians, 
with  all  the  savage  ferocity  and  awful  appearance,  that  those 
monsters  could  possibly  appear  in.  The  inhabitants  had  all 
reached  the  fort  in  time  to  defend  themselves,  which  appeared 
to  have  been  a  providential  thing,  for  if  it  had  not  been  for 
the  firing  of  the  Indians  on  the  express  bearers,  the  fort  would 
have  certainly  been  taken,  as  the  people  would  have  been 
taken  upon  a  surprise  when  they  were  not  apprehending  the 
least  kind  of  danger  from  those  savage  barbarians. 

"  There  was  a  very  heavy  fire  kept  up  for  the  space  of  one 
hour  on  both  sides.  Early  in  the  engagement  a  Mr.  George 
Herclurode  was  shot  in  the  neck,  and  never  spoke  afterwards, 
he  being  at  a  port  hole  trying  to  defend  himself  and  the  help 
less  inmates  of  the  fort;  a  Mr.  James  Nuting  was  also  shot 
at  the  same  time  in  the  head,  but  not  mortally.  There 
appeared  to  be  no  dismay  in  the  fort. 

"  Such  bravery  and  heroism  amongst  women  has  scarcely 


68  HISTORY    OF    THE 

ever  been  surpassed  in  any  country.  Women  and  children 
were  all  actively  engaged  in  the  defence  of  the  fort.  Girls 
eight  years  old  were  busily  engaged  in  running  balls  and  mak 
ing  cartridges,  and  women  loading  guns. 

"  The  Indians  got  into  those  houses  before  spoken  of,  and 
knocked  out  the  chinking  and  kept  up  their  fire  until  they  got 
discouraged.  They  then  commenced  plundering  the  houses, 
chopt,  split  and  tore  up  a  quantity  of  fine  furniture.  There 
was  scarcely  a  man  or  woman  that  was  left  with  a  second  suit 
of  clothing.  They  went  into  my  father's  house;  there  was  a 
large  bureau  full  of  fine  clothes,  they  took  six  fine  cloth  coats 
and  a  number  of  fine  ruffle  shirts,  with  their  tomahawks  they 
split  the  drawers  and  took  the  contents.  They  ripped  open 
the  bedticks,  emptied  the  feathers,  took  all  the  bedclothing, 
and  broke  all  the  delf  in  the  cupboards.  Some  of  the  out 
houses  were  kept  for  the  purpose  of  storing  away  provisions; 
they  got  into  those  houses  where  a  number  of  flour  barrels 
were  stowed  away;  they  would  lie  down  on  their  faces  and 
roll  a  barrel  after  them  until  they  would  get  into  a  ravine, 
where  they  were  out  of  danger;  they  then  would  empty  the 
barrels  of  flour,  after  they  had  destroyed  this  necessary  article, 
and  when  they  found  they  could  not  succeed  in  taking  the 
fort  as  they  expected,  they  then  commenced  the  warfare  upon 
the  stock;  they  killed  all  the  cattle  that  were  near  the  fort 
and  took  a  number  of  fine  horses  to  the  number  of  about 
twenty,  which  were  never  got  again  by  the  owners.  The 
horse  that  lost  his  rider  in  the  first  onset  ran  to  the  fort, 
which  the  Indians  did  not  get. 

"  Mr.  Dixon  on  his  retreat  never  stopt  at  the  fort,  think 
ing  from  the  large  number  of  Indians  the  fort  would  be  taken, 
he  made  for  Galena,  and  not  being  acquainted  with  the 
country  he  missed  his  road,  and  went  to  the  house  of  Mr. 
John  McDonald,  who  had  a  very  large  farm,  of  which  Apple 
river  formed  a  part  of  the  fence.  When  he  got  to  the  house 
he  found  a  large  number  of  Indians  at  that  place,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  found  himself  completely  surrounded;  he  lit  from  his 
horse,  let  down  a  pair  of  draw-bars,  and  made  his  escape 
across  the  river  to  Galena.  At  the  time  the  Indians  com 
menced  the  fire  upon  the  express  bearers,  the  people  of  the 


LATE    INDIAN    WAR  69 

fort  started  an  express  to  Galena  for  assistance,  which  never 
came  until  about  eleven  o'clock  the  next  day.  Colonel 
Strode  who  had  the  command  at  Galena,  marched  to  their 
assistance  with  about  one  hundred  men.  But  this  little  band 
of  men,  women  and  children,  had  bravely  stood  their  ground 
and  kept  the  field,  in  spite  of  the  Black  Hawk  and  his  fero 
cious  savage  brothers,  with  all  their  frightful  yells  and  war- 
whoops. 

"But  it  was  not  without  some  suffering  that  this  small 
handful  did  it.  There  was  no  water  in  the  fort,  and  being 
taken  upon  a  surprise,  the  people  had  not  time  to  lay  any  in 
after  the  attack  was  first  made  upon  the  express  bearers,  and 
the  weather  being  very  warm,  the  men  and  women  became 
so  fatigued  and  exhausted  in  time  of  the  engagement  that 
they  were  compelled  to  drink  dish  water,  to  quench  their 
thirst. 

"  This  fort  was  commanded  by  Captain  Stone,  and  there 
were  twenty-five  men  besides  women  and  children.  This  small 
force  stood  their  ground  before  the  great  and  mighty  chief 
called  Black  Hawk,  and  upwards  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  of 
those  hideous  monsters,  that  take  so  much  delight  in  their 
savage  warfare;  as  it  was  afterwards  ascertained  that  Black 
Hawk  commanded  in  person  at  this  engagement. 

"  It  was  supposed  that  the  Indians  lost  several  of  their 
number  in  this  skirmish,  as  they  were  seen  putting  several 
Indians  on  their  horses  and  packing  them  off  during  the 
engagement,  and  after  it  was  over  there  was  a  quantity  of 
blood  discovered  on  the  ground. 

"  The  Indians  in  killing  the  cattle  would  skin  and  take  out 
of  a  beef  such  pieces  as  they  seemed  to  like  best,  leaving  the 
balance  on  the  ground. 

"Apple  River  Fort  is  about  sixteen  miles  from  Kellogg's 
Grove,  and  it  is  believed  by  all  that  this  was  the  war  party 
of  Indians  that  attacked  Major  Dement's  spy  batallion  on  the 
next  day  at  this  grove. 

"  Sir,  this  is  an  outline  of  the  transactions  of  this  skirmish, 
and  agreeably  to  my  memory  is  a  correct  one,  &c. 

"Yours  respectfully,  with  sentiments  of  the  highest  esteem. 

"FLACK." 


yo  HISTORY     OF     THE 

In  and  about  this  time,  perhaps  a  day  or  two  before, 
another  scouting  party  of  Indians  came  within  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  of  Fort  Hamilton,  on  the  waters  of 
the  Pickatoleca.52  Three  men  had  just  left  the  fort, 
and  gone  to  the  farm  of  a  Mr.  Spafford.  They  made 
an  attack  on  them  and  killed  two,53  the  third  fled,  an 
Indian  seeing  he  had  got  away  without  falling  as  the 
other  two,  pursued  him  in  order  to  despatch  him  like 
wise,  but  in  this  the  savage  had  made  a  bad  calculation, 
the  white  man  was  not  hurt,  and  in  place  of  the  Indian 
killing  him  he  killed  the  Indian,  and  made  shift  to 
hide  from  the  vigilant  eye  of  the  rest ;  after  staying  in 
his  place  of  concealment  for  some  time  he  ventured  to 
sally  forth  to  go  to  the  fort,  but  about  that  time 
Colonel  William  S.  Hamilton54  arrived  at  the  fort  with 
a  large  number  of  Menominie  Indians  who  had  volun 
teered  to  go  against  the  Sac  and  Fox  nations,  in  order 
to  assist  in  subduing  the  common  enemy  of  both  them 
and  the  whites.  The  frightened  man  who  had  run  so 
narrow  a  risk  of  being  killed  by  them  in  the  attack 
they  had  made  upon  him  and  his  companions,  seeing 
those  friendly  and  harmless  Menominies  pouring  into 
the  fort,  retreated  back  to  his  place  of  concealment 
where  it  is  said  he  kept  himself  secreted  for  six  or 
eight  days,  living  upon  nothing  but  the  vegetation  that 
grew  out  of  the  earth.  But  at  last  he  was  obliged  to 
yield  to  the  pangs  of  hunger  and  venture  forth  and 
risk  all  consequences,  for  he  found  it  was  as  well  to  die 
by  the  sword  as  famine,  when  to  his  great  joy  he  found 
his  mistake. 

One  of  the  men  killed  in  the  attack  was  by  the  name  of 
Appleton,55  but  the  other  I  do  not  recollect,  neither  do  I 
know  the  name  of  the  brave  fellow  that  made  his  escape 
and  so  manfully  gave  the  Indian  that  pursued  him  a  qui 
etus.  Which  in  the  sequel  the  reader  will  find  the  others 
of  this  party  all  shared  the  same  fate  on  that  day. 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR  71 

Those  cowardly  wretches  as  soon  as  they  had  killed 
the  two  men,  took  to  flight  which  is  their  general  prac 
tice,  especially  scouting  parties.  But  General  Dodge, 
who  happened  to  arrive  at  the  fort  soon  after  those 
daring  wretches  had  committed  this  depredation,  with 
about  twenty  men,  pursued  with  all  possible  speed, 
and  in  about  six  or  eight  miles  overtook  them.  When 
they  saw  they  were  pursued  they  made  for  the  Picke- 
toleca,  and  got  under  the  bank  of  the  creek.  General 
Dodge  stopped  not  for  the  advantage  they  had  got  of 
him,  by  being  under  the  bank,  but  rushed  up  within  a 
few  feet  of  them  and  killed  the  whole  band  of  them, 
consisting  of  eleven  in  number  as  was  supposed  at  that 
time,  report  says  since  that  the  Indians  give  an  account 
of  two  of  them  getting  away. 

General  Dodge  in  this  skirmish  had  four  men 
wounded,  three  of  which  proved  mortal,  Samuel  Black, 
was  one;  he  lived  ten  days;  Samuel  Wells,  was  another 
who  lived  twenty-two  days;  and  Montaville58  Morris 
who  lived  twenty-four  days.  Thomas  Jenkins  was 
shot  through  the  hip,  but  not  mortal. 

It  appears  that  there  was  about  this  time  a  number 
of  those  scouting  parties  prowling  about  the  mines  in 
order  to  take  scalps,  and  steal  horses. 

Captain  James  W.  Stephenson  about  this  time,  per 
haps  the  same  day,  fell  in  with  another  party  of  those 
miserable  beings,  between  Apple  River  Fort  and  Kel- 
logg's  Grove;  when  they  discovered  him  and  his  men 
they  took  to  flight.  And  the  Captain  and  men  gave 
them  chase,  he  pursued  them  something  like  five  miles 
before  he  was  able  to  overtake  them.  They  succeeded 
in  reaching  a  large  thicket,  here  they  had  every  advan 
tage  of  him,  they  lay  concealed  in  the  bushes  and  were 
completely  hid  from  him,  he  had  no  other  way  to  get 
at  them  than  to  charge  upon  them  in  their  hiding 
place;  which  he  did,  and  opened  a  brisk  fire  upon  them, 


72  HISTORY    OF    THE 

in  a  very  few  feet  of  where  they  were  laying.  But  the 
enemy  having  all  advantage  of  him,  he  was  compelled 
to  fall  back  with  the  loss  of  some  of  his  men,  but  the 
Captain  and  men  not  willing  to  give  up  the  contest, 
charged  a  second  and  third  time  upon  them.  On  the 
third  charge  the  Captain  received  a  wound  in  his 
breast,  which  was  thought  to  have  been  mortal  at  that 
time,  also  three  of  his  men  were  killed  dead  on  the 
ground.  One  by  the  name  of  Howard,  one  by  the 
name  of  Ames,  and  a  Mr.  Fowler.57  The  men  now 
seeing  that  the  Indians  had  every  advantage  of  them, 
thought  it  was  best  not  to  put  the  lives  of  good  men 
in  stake  against  the  lives  of  those  filthy  savages. 

It  could  not  be  ascertained  in  this  skirmish  how 
much  execution  was  done  to  the  Indians,  as  the  men 
had  to  retreat  and  give  the  field  to  the  enemy.  As 
Captain  Stephenson  had  but  a  small  detachment  of  his 
company,  and  three  of  them  lay  dead  on  the  ground, 
and  himself  wounded. 

I  will  now  return  to  the  army  at  Fort  Wilbourn. 
The  first  Brigade,  marched  on  the  twentieth  day  of 
June.  The  second  on  the  twenty-first.  And  the  third 
on  the  twenty-second.58  All  ordered  to  concentrate  at 
Dixon's. 

Major  Dement  who  commanded  the  spy  battalion 
of  the  first  Brigade  was  ordered  on  ahead,  in  order  if 
possible  to  overtake  a  band  of  Sacs  who  had  been 
doing  mischief  at  Bureau  river.  He  proceeded  on 
with  his  battalion  in  front  of  the  Brigade,  until  he  came 
to  a  grove  that  is  generally  known  by  the  name  of 
Kellogg's  Grove. 

On  the  25th  day  of  June,  about  two  hours  before 
day,  an  express  arrived  from  Gratiot's  Grove  informing 
Major  Dement  that  traces  of  Indians  had  been  seen 
the  day  previous  leading  .southwestward,  supposed  to 
have  been  about  five  hundred  in  number.  The 


LATE     INDIAN    WAR  73 

express  was  continued  to  General  Posey  at  Dixon's  ferry, 
thirty-seven  miles  distant  from  Kellogg's  Grove. 

At  daylight  Major  Dement,  with  twenty-five  men, 
made  preparations  for  leaving  the  fort  on  an  excursion 
towards  where  the  Indians  had  passed,  about  five  miles 
from  the  fort,  but  previous  to  his  leaving  gave  orders 
to  those  who  remained  to  saddle  their  horses  and  hold 
themselves  in  readiness  to  act  as  circumstances  might 
render  necessary. 

During  this  time  the  party  who  were  to  accompany 
Major  Dement59  to  examine  the  Indian  trail  had  ad 
vanced  about  three  hundred  yards  from  the  main  body 
when  they  discovered  seven  Indian  spies,  and  imme 
diately  pursued  them — some  of  them  however  returned 
to  the  camp  and  informed  Major  Dement  of  this  cir 
cumstance,  who  fearing  that  they  might  be  led  into  an 
ambuscade,  (first  endeavoring  to  quell  excitement 
which  the  appearance  of  Indians  had  occasioned  at  the 
fort,  and  requiring  the  prompt  execution  of  his  order, 
to  put  themselves  in  readiness  for  any  emergency) 
started  out  in  haste  to  prevent  further  pursuit  of  the 
Indian  spies;  and  advancing  in  the  direction  of  the 
Indians  about  one  mile  from  the  camp  for  that  pur 
pose,  he  succeeded  in  retaining  twelve  or  fourteen — 
the  remainder  still  further  ahead. 

Meantime  Major  Dement  apprehensive  that  an  attack 
might  be  made  by  a  large  body  of  Indians  whom  he 
suspected  to  be  concealed  in  the  grove,  and  observing 
that  a  number  of  his  men  had  followed  him  out  from 
the  fort,  determined  on  the  expediency  of  forming  his 
men  in  the  prairie,  then  about  one  mile  from  the  fort, 
in  order  to  cover  the  retreat  of  those  who  had  pursued 
the  Indian  spies. 

While  Major  Dement  was  taking  the  necessary  steps 
to  put  this  determination  into  execution,  the  Indians 
amounting  to  between  two  and  three  hundred,  rushed 


74  HISTORY     OF     THE 

from  the  grove,  raised  a  yell  and  commenced  firing. 
About  twenty-five  men  who  were  within  hearing, 
formed  in  a  body  to  resist  the  attack,  and  to  cover  the 
retreat  of  the  party  who  had  pursued  the  Indian  spies 
to  the  grove,  the  remainder  of  those  who  came  out  from 
the  fort  immediately  returning.  The  small  company 
thus  hastily  formed,  bravely  stood  their  ground  until 
they  were  in  danger  of  being  surrounded  by  superior 
numbers.  Major  Dement  then  ordered  his  men  to 
retire  to  the  fort  closely  pursued  by  the  Indians.  On 
their  retreat  they  overtook  three  men  on  foot,  who  were 
making  towards  the  fort,  but  not  being  able  to  reach  it 
were  cut  off  by  the  enemy. 

The  Indians  kept  up  a  brisk  fire  on  the  stockade  for 
nearly  an  hour;  but  finding  themselves  unable  to  stand 
against  the  steady  aim  of  the  brave  riflemen  within,  gave 
up  all  hopes  of  carrying  it,  and  withdrew  to  the  woods. 

About  three  hours  after  the  Indians  had  left  the 
ground,  General  Posey  arrived  with  a  reinforcement, 
with  which  he  had  started  from  the  encampment 
immediately  after  the  arrival  of  the  express  from  Major 
Dement. 

The  Indians  remained  in  sight  of  the  fort  till  within 
an  hour  or  two  of  General  Posey's  arrival. 

Next  day  General  Posey  marched  to  the  north,  in  the 
direction  in  which  the  Indians  had  last  been  seen, 
crossed  their  trail,  returned  to  Kellogg's  Grove,  where 
he  encamped  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  baggage 
waggons. 

The  loss  of  our  troops  were  five  killed,  and  three 
wounded ;  that  of  the  enemy  nine  killed  that  were  found 
on  the  ground,  and  it  is  supposed  five  others  fell  in  the 
engagement,  as  that  number  of  the  enemy's  horses 
came  into  the  camp  without  their  riders. 

There  were  some  choice  spirits  in  this  action,  or  the 
superior  number  of  Indians  would  certainly  have  cut 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR  75 

off  this  small  band  of  men,  as  the  place  of  refuge  they 
were  in  was  very  little  better  than  the  open  field. 

In  this  small  band  of  soldiers  was  our  much  beloved 
and  respected  Lieutenant  Governor  Zadock  Casey;  he 
was  one  of  the  number  who  formed  to  cover  the  retreat 
of  those  that  had  advanced  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy. 

It  is  natural  always  for  honorable  men  to  be  brave, 
there  is  something  in  their  breast  [s]  that  always  stimu 
lates  them  to  noble  acts,  and  on  our  cool  reflection 
they  would  court  death  before  dishonor. 

This,  in  my  opinion,  is  what  stimulates  men  to  act 
bravely  and  patriotic.  They  are  not  only  acting  for  the 
good  of  their  country  but  they  believe  it  to  be  an 
imperative  duty  for  them  to  do  so. 

General  Posey  marched  his  whole  Brigade  from  this 
place  to  Fort  Hamilton,  where  he  remained  for  some 
days.  Here  Major  Dement  resigned  his  command. 

I  must  here  dismiss  General  Posey  for  the  present, 
and  return  back  to  Dixon's,  where  the  second  and  third 
Brigades  had  arrived  when  the  express  came  stating  that 
Major  Dement  had  had  a  battle.  General  Alexander, 
who  commanded  the  second  Brigade,  was  despatched 
with  his  Brigade  with  all  speed  across  Rock  river,  and 
ordered  to  march  his  troops  toward  Plum  river,  a  stream 
running  into  the  Mississippi,  there  to  intercept  the 
Indians  on  their  retreat,  if  they  should  attempt  to  cross 
the  Mississippi.  General  Atkinson  remained  at  Dixon's 
with  the  infantry,  and  General  Henry  with  his  Brigade 
of  volunteers  for  two  days,  in  order  if  possible  to 
ascertain  what  direction  the  Indians  were  taking;  where 
he  ascertained  that  the  Indians  had  retreated  back  up 
Rock  river,  and  that  it  was  only  a  war  party  of  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty.  He  came  to  the  conclusion  to 
pursue  his  intended  route  up  Rock  river  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Four  Lakes ;  where  it  was  stated  that  Black 
Hawk  had  fortified  himself  with  his  whole  army,  and 


76  HISTORY    OF    THE 

intended  to  give  General  Atkinson  a  general  fight. 
On  the  evening  of  the  26th  of  June,  Captain  George 
Walker  and  three  Pottawattomies  from  Chicago,  came 
into  the  camp  at  Dixon's,  and  stated  that  there  were 
seventy-five  Pottawattomies  awaiting  to  join  the  whole 
army  at  Sycamore  creek,  that  they  had  been  there 
several  days  awaiting  our  arrival,  and  that  they  had 
become  suspicious  that  they  were  in  great  danger  as  it 
was  their  opinion  that  the  Sacs  was  [were]  not  far  away. 
Next  morning  General  Henry  sent  on  Colonel  Fry  with 
his  regiment,  with  orders  to  reach  there  as  soon  as  pos 
sible,  and  await  our  arrival.  Colonel  Fry  always  strictly 
doing  his  duty,  moved  on  with  all  possible  celerity, 
with  Capt.  Walker  as  his  pilot,  to  where  these  children 
of  the  forest  were  awaiting  to  join  in  the  chase  against 
Black  Hawk  and  his  band,  with  Mr.  Caldwell  who  acts 
as  their  principal  chief  in  council.  They  had  also  their 
war  chief  Shabbaney[Sha-bo-na]  along. 

Mr.  Caldwell  has  been  an  interpreter  to  the  Indian 
Agent  for  some  years.  He  is  a  man  of  fine  education 
and  general  information.  His  father  was  a  British 
officer  and  his  mother  was  a  Pottawattomie  squaw. 
But  for  a  half  breed  he  is  very  fair  skinned. 

The  whole  of  the  third  Brigade  under  command  of 
General  Henry,  with  General  Atkinson  at  our  head, 
took  up  the  line  of  march  from  Dixon's  on  the  2yth  of 
June,  directing  our  course  up  Rock  river,  towards  the 
Four  Lakes.  We  lay  on  the  night  of  the  28th,  at 
Major  Stillman's  battle  ground.  On  the  29th,  we 
overtook  Col.  Fry,  with  the  seventy-five  Pottawatto 
mie  Indians  with  him. 

The  Indians  appeared  to  be  highly  pleased  to  think 
they  were  honored  so  far  as  to  take  a  hand  with  us 
against  the  Sacs.  They  were  well  armed,  with  both 
guns  and  spears. 

The  3Oth,  we  passed   through  the  Turtle  village, 


LATE     INDIAN    WAR  77 

which  is  a  considerable  Winnebago  town,  but  it  was 
deserted.  We  marched  on  about  one  mile,  and  en 
camped  in  the  open  prairie  near  enough  to  Rock  river 
to  get  water  from  it.  We  here  saw  very  fresh  signs 
of  the  Sac  Indians,  where  they  had  been  apparently 
fishing  on  that  day.  General  Atkinson  believed  we 
were  close  to  them,  and  apprehended  an  attack  that 
night.  The  sentinels  fired  several  times,  and  we  were 
as  often  paraded,  and  prepared  to  receive  the  enemy, 
but  they  never  came.  But  from  what  the  sentinels 
gave  into  the  officers  of  the  day,  there  was  no  doubt 
that  Indians  had  been  prowling  about  the  camp.  July 
first,  we  had  not  marched  but  two  or  three  miles  before 
an  Indian  was  seen  across  Rock  river  at  some  distance 
off  in  a  very  high  prairie,  which  no  doubt  was  a  spy, 
and  likely  was  one  that  had  been  prowling  about  our 
encampment  the  night  before.  We  proceeded  a  few 
miles  further  and  came  to  the  place  where  the  Indians 
who  had  taken  the  two  Miss  Halls  prisoners  had 
stayed  several  days.  It  was  a  strong  position,  where 
they  could  have  withstood  a  very  powerful  force,  which 
we  afterwards  discovered  they  always  encamped  in 
such  places.  We  had  not  marched  but  a  few  miles 
from  this  place,  before  one  of  our  front  scouts  came 
back  meeting  the  army  in  great  haste,  and  stated  that 
they  had  discovered  a  fresh  trail  of  Indians  where  they 
had  just  gone  along  in  front  of  us.  Major  Ewing, 
who  was  in  front  of  the  main  army  some  distance, 
immediately  formed  his  men  in  line  of  battle  and 
marched  in  that  order  in  advance  of  the  main  army 
about  three  quarters  of  a  mile.  We  had  a  very  thick 
wood  to  march  through,  where  the  undergrowth  stood 
very  high  and  thick ;  the  sign  looked  very  fresh  and 
we  expected  every  step  to  be  fired  upon  from  the 
thickets.  We  marched  in  abreast  in  this  order  about 
two  miles,  not  stopping  for  the  unevenness  of  the 


78  HISTORY     OF     THE 

ground  or  any  thing  else,  but  keeping  in  a  line  of 
battle  all  the  time,  until  we  found  the  Indians  had 
scattered,  then  we  resumed  our  common  line  of  march, 
which  was  in  three  divisions.  Soon  after  we  had 
formed  into  three  divisions,  the  friendly  Indians  that 
were  with  us  raised  an  alarm  by  seven  or  eight  of  them 
shooting  at  a  deer  some  little  in  advance  of  the  army. 
The  whole  army  here  formed  for  action ;  but  it  was 
soon  ascertained  that  these  children  of  the  forest,  had 
been  at  what  their  whole  race  seems  to  have  been  born 
for,  tradesmen  to  shooting  at  the  beasts  of  the  forest. 
We  here  camped  by  a  small  lake  this  night  and  had  to 
drink  the  water  which  was  very  bad,  but  it  was  all  that 
could  be  found.  Here  this  night  a  very  bad  accident 
happened.  One  of  the  sentinels  mistaking  another 
that  was  on  post  with  a  blanket  wrapped  around  him, 
for  an  Indian,  he  shot  him  just  below  the  groin  in  the 
thick  of  the  thigh.  At  first  the  wound  was  thought 
mortal.  I  understood  before  I  left  the  army,  the  man 
was  nearly  well.  Here  General  Atkinson  had  on  this 
night  breast  works  thrown  up  which  was  easy  done ;  as 
we  were  encamped  in  thick  heavy  timber;  this  was  a 
precaution  which  he  was  always  after  famous  for,  which 
went  to  show  that  he  set  a  great  deal  by  the  lives  of 
his  men,  and  by  no  means  was  any  marks  of  cow 
ardice  ; —  for  generalship  consists  more  in  good  man 
agement  than  any  thing  else.  July  2nd.  We  started 
this  morning  at  the  usual  time,  but  went  but  a  few 
miles,  before  Major  Ewing,  who  was  still  in  front  with 
his  battalion,  espied  a  very  fresh  trail,  making  off  at 
about  a  left  angle.  He  dispatched  ten  men  from  the 
battalion,  in  company  with  Captain  George  Walker, 
and  a  few  Indians,  to  pursue  it  and  see  if  possible 
where  it  went  to.  He  moved  on  in  front  of  his  battalion 
a  small  distance  further,  when  he  came  on  the  main  Sac 
trail  of  Black  Hawk's  whole  army;  which  appeared  to 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR  79 

be  about  two  days  old.  Captain  Early,80  who  com 
manded  a  volunteer  independent  company,  and  had 
got  in  advance  this  morning,  called  a  halt,  so  did  Major 
Ewing  with  his  battalion.  Then  Major  Ewing  sent 
back  one  of  his  staff  officers  for  the  main  army  to  call 
a  halt  a  few  minutes.  He  with  Major  Anderson  of 
the  Infantry,  Captain  Early,  and  Jonathan  H.  Pugh, 
Esquire,  went  a  little  in  advance,  where  Major  Ander 
son,81  with  a  telescope,  took  a  view  across  the  lake,  as 
we  had  now  got  to  Lake  Kushkanong.  They  then 
discovered  three  Indians,  apparently  in  their  canoes. 
Major  Ewing  went  himself  and  informed  General 
Atkinson  what  discovery  was  made,  and  requested 
General  Atkinson  to  let  him  take  his  battalion  round 
through  a  narrow  defile  that  was  between  two  of  those 
lakes,  where  we  supposed  the  Indians  were.  By  this 
time  our  scouts,  who  had  taken  the  trail  that  led  off 
on  our  left,  returned,  bringing  with  them  five  white 
men's  scalps.  They  followed  the  Indian  trail  until  it 
took  them  to  a  large  Indian  encampment  that  they 
had  left  a  few  days  before.  They  reached  it;  the 
scalps  were  sticking  up  against  some  of  their  wigwams; 
— some  of  them  were  identified,  but  I  do  not  recollect 
the  names  of  any,  except  one,  which  was  said  to  be  an 
old  gentleman  by  the  name  of  [William]  Hale.  Major 
Ewing  then  marched  his  battalion  about  one  mile,  where 
the  pass  on  the  side  of  the  lake  appeared  so  narrow,  that 
he  dismounted  his  men,  and  had  the  horses  all  tied, 
and  a  few  men  left  to  guard  them,  and  the  rest  of  us 
marched  on  foot  about  one  mile  through  a  narrow 
defile  on  the  bank  of  Kushkanong  lake.  This  was 
considered  a  dangerous  procedure,  but  Col.  Ewing, 
who  was  in  front  with  Major  Anderson,  would  have 
been  first  in  danger.  We  now  found  that  we  were 
getting  too  far  in  advance  of  our  horses;  so  Major 
Ewing  sent  a  part  of  the  men  back  for  them.  When 


8o  HISTORY     OF    THE 

we  mounted  our  horses,  we  were  joined  by  Captain 
Early  and  his  independent  corps.  We  then  marched 
some  distance  around  the  lake,  and  went  in  between 
two  of  them,  in  a  narrow  defile,  until  we  found  another 
deserted  encampment.  We  now  saw  clearly  that  the 
Indians  were  gone  from  the  Kushkanong  lake.  So 
the  next  thing  to  be  done  was  to  find  which  direction 
they  had  steered  their  course.  July  4th.  Major 
Ewing  and  his  spy  battalion,  with  Colonel  Collins  and 
Colonel  Jones,  were  sent  up  the  river  in  the  way  the 
trail  of  the  Indians  seemed  to  be  making,  to  see  what 
discoveries  could  be  made.  They  at  last  saw  that  they 
were  still  making  up  the  river  on  the  east  side.  We 
returned  to  the  camp  late  in  the  evening.  On  the 
evening  before,  General  Alexander  had  come  up  with 
us.  He  stated  that  he  had  been  to  the  Mississippi, 
and  had  explored  the  country  on  Plum  river,  and  had 
made  no  discoveries  of  the  Indians  making  their  escape. 
July  5th.  General  Atkinson  lay  by  this  day  with  the 
main  army;  but  Col.  Fry,  who  was  always  a  man  that 
wished  to  be  actively  engaged  for  the  welfare  of  his 
country,  marched  across  Rock  river  on  this  day,  to  see 
if  there  was  any  sign  of  the  enemy  passing  up  on  the 
west  side.  Colonel  Fry  did  not  return  until  late  in 
the  evening.  He  reported,  he  had  seen  another  Indian 
trail  on  the  opposite  side  from  us,  and  that  he  had 
followed  it  until  it  went  into  a  tremendous  thicket, 
such  as  his  horses  could  not  penetrate.  On  the  4th 
of  July,  some  of  our  scouts  had  taken  an  old  Sac  In 
dian  a  prisoner,  which  in  their  flight,  the  rest  of  the 
Indians  had  run  off  and  left.  He  was  nearly  starved 
to  death,  and  literally  blind.  After  feeding  him. 
General  Atkinson  had  him  examined,  telling  him  at 
the  same  time  that  if  he  caught  him  in  a  lie  he  would 
have  him  put  to  death.  The  old  fellow  told  all  he 
knew,  which  was  not  very  much.  He  stated  that 


LATE    INDIAN    WAR  81 

Black  Hawk  had  passed  on  up  the  river,  on  the  east 
side,  the  same  that  they  were  then  on.  He  stated  that 
he  was  so  old  that  they  never  thought  it  worth  while 
to  tell  him  anything  about  their  movements ;  that  in 
marching,  he  frequently  did  not  get  up  to  their  camp 
till  late  in  the  night,  and  sometimes  not  until  the  next 
morning.  So  our  prisoner  was  not  of  much  benefit 
to  us.  He  had  but  few  days  to  live,  and  to  shorten 
his  days  we  concluded  the  best  plan  would  be  to  give 
him  plenty  to  eat,  and  leave  him  to  kill  himself  in  that 
pleasant  way.  But  we  learnt  afterwards  that  he  was 
denied  this  satisfaction,  for  some  of  General  Posey's 
men  came  upon  him,  and  he  soon  became  an  easy  prey 
to  their  deadly  rifles.  July  6th.  General  Atkinson 
on  this  day  took  up  the  line  of  march,  still  up  Rock 
river,  on  the  east  side.  We  this  day  reached  a  Winne- 
bago  village  called  the  Burnt  Village,  on  White  Water, 
a  small  stream  running  into  Rock  river,  but  one  that 
was  almost  impassable,  as  it  was  a  perfect  swamp  on 
each  bank,  and  very  deep  in  the  middle  of  the  channel. 
Next  morning,  on  the  Jth  of  July,  one  of  the  regulars 
went  to  this  stream,  which  was  not  more  than  one 
hundred  and  twenty  yards  from  our  encampment,  to 
fish.  While  fishing,  three  Indians  fired  on  him  from 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river  and  wounded  him  very 
badly  with  two  balls.  This  was  a  hard  case,  for  the 
enemy  to  come  within  one  hundred  and  twenty  yards 
of  our  encampment,  and  wound  one  of  our  men,  and 
we  not  able  to  help  ourselves,  for  this  dismal  stream. 
The  night  we  got  here,  (to  White  Water)  General 
Posey's  brigade,  in  company  with  Col.  Dodge's  squad 
ron,  came  up  to  us.  They  were  out  of  provisions,  and 
in  a  state  of  suffering,  and  were  compelled  to  push  on 
to  where  we  were  to  get  something  to  sustain  nature. 
Colonel  John  Ewing  and  his  regiment  did  not  reach  us 
that  night,  and  encamped  about  one  mile  and  a  half  off 


82  HISTORY     OF     THE 

from  the  main  army.  Here  an  awful  accident  happened. 
Col.  Dunn,  who  was  a  Captain  of  a  company,  was  here 
what  is  generally  called  the  officer  of  the  day,  whose 
duty  it  is  to  visit  the  sentinels  once  or  more  through 
the  course  of  the  night.  Captain  Dunn  in  perform 
ing  this  duty,  just  before  day  in  the  morning,  was 
fired  upon  by  one  of  the  sentinels,  and  severely 
wounded;  he  was  shot  in  the  groin,  a  place  that  gener 
ally  proves  fatal.  When  he  was  examined,  his  sur 
geons  pronounced  it  mortal,  which  threw  all  his  friends 
into  mourning;  for  he  was  a  man  much  beloved  by  all 
that  knew  him.  But  here  I  must  stop.  It  won't  do 
to  write  his  epitaph  yet,  for  he  is  still  a  living  man, 
and  is  young  and  in  the  bloom  of  life.  He  still  may 
be  a  useful  member  of  society,  and  a  friend  and  public 
servant  to  his  country,  which  he  has  already  been  for 
several  years,  holding  some  of  the  most  important 
offices  in  the  gift  of  the  legislature, —  such  as  Canal 
Commissioner,  which  he  still  holds,  and  many  more. 
So,  if  he  had  died,  the  State  would  have  sustained  a 
great  loss,  in  losing  so  good  a  citizen. 

Soon  after  the  Indians  shot  the  regular,  General 
Atkinson  took  up  the  line  of  march,  still  up  the  river, 
and  made  shift  to  cross  one  branch  of  this  dismal 
stream,  White  Water ;  but  it  was  with  much  difficulty, 
as  many  a  horse  mired  down,  and  threw  his  rider  into 
the  water,  where  he  and  his  gun  were  literally  buried 
in  mud  and  water;  but  all  made  shift  to  get  out. 
Here  we  expected  to  have  been  fired  upon  by  the 
enemy.  Major  Ewing,  still  in  advance  of  the  main 
army  some  distance,  got  over  first.  He  then  formed 
his  men  in  battle  order,  and  stood  as  a  front  guard, 
until  the  main  army  could  cross  this  dismal  stream ; 
which  they  had  to  bridge  with  grass,  as  they  after 
wards  had  to  do  many  more  the  same  way.  In  this 
swampy  country  the  grass  grows  very  high,  the  ground 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR  83 

being  very  rich.  There  were  plenty  of  scythes,  and 
men  to  use  them ;  so  it  was  an  easy  job  to  make  a 
temporary  bridge  with  this  substitute,  such  as  the 
heaviest  kind  of  baggage  waggons  could  pass  with 
safety.  We  marched  on  this  day  about  fifteen  miles  up 
the  river.  On  this  evening  the  whole  forces  got 
together,  and  camped  together  for  the  first  time.  Our 
forces  looked  like  they  were  able  to  whip  all  the 
Indians  in  the  north  western  territories. 

At  this  place  the  old  blind  chief,  a  Winnebago  In 
dian,  came  with  General  Dodge's  corps.  General 
Atkinson  on  the  next  morning,  July  the  8th,  had  a 
talk  with  him,  in  order  if  possible  to  find  out  where 
Black  Hawk  was  with  his  forces.  The  old  blind  or 
one  eyed  chief,  told  him  that  the  Indians  that  we  were 
in  pursuit  of,  were  still  down  on  the  Island  opposite 
the  Burnt  Village,  where  they  shot  the  regular,  and 
stated  that  if  we  did  not  find  them  there  he  would  give 
General  Atkinson  leave  to  take  his  life.  Upon  this 
General  Atkinson  made  a  retrograde  movement,  and 
measured  the  ground  and  fathomed  the  muddy 
branches  of  the  celebrated  White  Water,  that  we  crossed 
the  day  before.  We  took  up  our  abode  that  night  on 
the  same  ground  that  we  left  before  at  the  Burnt 
Village.  Next  morning,  July  the  9th,  Colonel  Fry 
undertook  to  make  a  bridge  across  the  almost  impass 
able  gulf.  He  was  furnished  with  a  number  of  the 
regulars,  who  were  always  ready  for  such  undertak 
ings.  A  strong  guard  was  placed  on  the  bank  of  the 
stream  on  the  opposite  side,  for  fear  of  those  suffering 
who  passed  over  on  a  raft.  Captain  Early,  in  the 
course  of  the  day,  took  a  part  of  his  men  and  pene 
trated  some  distance  into  the  Island.  They  brought 
back  word  that  they  had  seen  a  good  deal  of  fresh 
sign,  and  were  of  opinion  that  the  Indians  were  there. 
Colonel  William  S.  Hamilton,  who  had  a  small  band 


84  HISTORY    OF    THE 

of  Menominie  Indians  under  his  command,  took 
them  and  went  clear  through  the  Island  and  hunted 
it  out  thoroughly.  They  returned  in  the  evening, 
bringing  the  news  that  the  Indians  had  left  this  Island. 
General  Atkinson  was  again  deceived  by  those  treach 
erous  Winnebagoes,  but  in  place  of  putting  the  old 
one  eyed  chief  to  death,  he  still  consulted  them  [him]. 
They  [He]  next  told  him  that  Black  Hawk  was  still 
higher  up  the  stream,  on  what  was  called  the  Tumbling 
Land.62  Colonel  Fry's  bridge,  that  he  had  spent  the 
best  part  of  this  day  at  with  more  than  one  hundred 
hands,  was  now  kicked  over  and  abandoned. 

We  now  found  that  there  was  no  dependence  to  be 
placed  in  those  treacherous  Winnebagoes.  The  men 
now  had  been  marching  through  swamps  for  a  con 
siderable  length  of  time  without  success;  and  no  exe 
cution  done,  only  what  General  Posey's  men  had  done 
by  killing  the  old  blind  Indian.  We  now  plainly  saw 
that  Black  Hawk  knew  we  were  in  his  neighborhood. 
He  knew  all  the  passes  between  those  swamps,  and 
could  evade  our  pursuit  for  some  time;  which  dis 
couraged  our  men  very  much. 

Here  his  Excellency  Governor  Reynolds  and  his 
aids  left  us;  likewise  Colonel  T.  W.  Smith,  who  had 
been  promoted  to  the  office  of  Adjutant  General, — 
which  office  was  not  then  of  much  service  to  us. 
Col.  A.  P.  Field,  General  Henry's  aid,  and  Major 
Breese,  also  left  us, — (some  on  furlough  and  some 
discharged,)  and  returned  home:  These  men  at  this 
time  did  not  believe,  that  there  would  be  any  fighting, 
or  I  think  they  would  not  have  left  the  army. 

We  here  were  in  another  bad  box.  We  were  in  a 
manner  out  of  provision;  and  the  nearest  point  to  us, 
where  we  could  get  a  supply  was  Fort  Winnebago, 
which  was  about  eighty  miles  distant  from  us;  and  to 
get  it,  we  were  compelled  to  go  through  the  most 


LATE     INDIAN    WAR  85 

swampy  country  that  an  army  ever  was  marched 
through.  July  loth.  General  Atkinson  this  morning 
sent  Col.  Ewing  with  his  regiment  down  Rock  river  to 
Dixon's  with  Colonel  Dunn,  who  was  supposed  to  be 
mortally  wounded. 

General  Posey  with  the  rest  of  his  brigade,  was  sent 
to  Fort  Hamilton,  as  a  guard  to  that  frontier  part  of 
the  country,  which  was  in  a  very  exposed  situation,  on 
account  of  General  Dodge  having  the  troops  from 
there  with  him. 

General  Henry  and  his  brigade,  Gen.  Alexander's 
brigade  and  General  Dodge's  squadron,  were  all  this 
day  sent  to  Fort  Winnebago  after  provision.  Gen. 
Atkinson  dropped  down  a  short  distance  from  our 
present  encampment,  near  to  the  Kushkanong  lake, 
and  there  built  a  fort,  which  he  called  Fort  Kushka 
nong,  after  the  lake.63 

General  Atkinson  gave  Generals  Alexander,  Henry, 
and  Dodge,  orders  to  return  as  soon  as  they  drew 
provision.  Here,  when  we  got  to  Fort  Winnebago, 
we  were  still  surrounded  by  the  Winnebagoes.  A 
half  breed  Indian  by  the  name  of  Poquet,  told  us  he 
thought  we  might  find  Black  Hawk  by  going  around 
the  head  of  Fox  river,  a  stream  of  considerable  size 
which  empties  into  Green  Bay;  and  offered  to  go  with 
some  of  the  Winnebagoes  as  a  pilot. 

At  this  place  we  met  with  a  misfortune  which  we 
had  been  very  much  troubled  with  during  our  march, 
which  I  omitted  mentioning  before.  Our  horses  were 
given  to  fright  and  running  in  a  most  fearful  manner; 
the  army  was  constantly  in  danger  of  suffering  great 
damage  by  their  taking  those  frights.  There  is  no 
one  can  tell  what  a  horrid  sight  it  is,  to  see  two  thou 
sand  horses  coming  at  full  speed  toward  an  encamp 
ment  in  the  dead  hour  of  night.  This  night  they  got 
more  scared  than  common.  There  were  about  three 


86  LATE     INDIAN     WAR 

hundred  head  on  this  night,  that  run  about  thirty 
miles  before  they  stopped;  and  that,  too,  through  the 
worst  kind  of  swamps.  This  circumstance  caused  us 
to  stay  here  two  days,  trying  to  recover  our  horses, 
but  all  could  not  be  found.  Our  road  back  the  way 
we  had  come,  was  hunted  for  upwards  of  fifty  miles; 
and  still  a  great  number  of  them  were  missing. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Narrative  of  the  imprisonment  of  the  two  Miss  Halls —  Their 
treatment  by  the  Indians  —  They  are  purchased  by  General 
Dodge  and  Mr.  H.  Gratiot,  through  the  Wmnebagoes — 
Their  arrival  on  the  eleventh  day  after  their  captivity  at 
White  Oak  Springs — Reverend  Mr.  Horn  becomes  a  friend 
and  protector  to  them —  They  are  married —  Anecdote  of  Mr. 
F.  stating  the  race  that  Mr.  C.  rode  upon  his  beaver 
hat,  which  caused  the  death  of  three  women  —  Poor  little 
Susan  forsaken  by  her  mother,  and  about  to  be  left  to  the 
mercy  of  the  savage,  when  a  kind  hunter  takes  charge  of 
her. 

THE  reader  will  recollect  that,  in  a  former  chapter 
it  was  stated  that  two  young  and  beautiful  females 
were  taken  prisoners  by  the  Indians,  on  Indian 
creek,  where  they  so  inhumanly  murdered  and  muti 
lated    the    families    of   Messrs.    Hall,    Daviess,    and 
Pedigrew  [Pettigrew] . 

Reader,  didst  thou  not  shudder  when  you  read  of 
this  horrid  act,  that  was  done  in  open  day  in  our 
country?  But,  alas!  if  we  shudder  at  the  thought  of 
this  inhuman  act,  what  must  have  been  the  feelings  of 
those  two  young  and  unoffending  women?  Can  I 
find  language  to  describe  them?  No!  The  reader 
can  better  imagine,  than  pen  can  write  it. 

But  reader,  you  shall  have  the  narrative  of  their 
captivity  as  given  to  me  by  one  of  them  in  person, 
which  was  Silbey,84  the  eldest.  I  will  give  it  in  her 
own  language,  which  I  think  will  be  more  satisfactory 
to  the  reader;  which  is  as  follows: 


88  HISTORY    OF    THE 

"On  the  2Oth  of  May,  1832,  a  party  of  Indians 
came  to  my  father's  house  early  in  the  morning.  Mr. 
Pedigrew,  one  of  the  neighbors  was  there.  They 
first  shot  him;  they  then  commenced  killing  my  father 
and  mother,  and  the  rest  of  the  family  that  were  at 
home,  in  the  midst  of  which  two  Indians  seized  me, 
and  two  more  my  sister  Rachel,  by  the  arms,  and  bore 
us  off  as  fast  as  possible.  As  we  passed  out  of  the 
door,  we  saw  our  mother  sinking  under  the  instruments 
of  death.  They  compelled  us  to  run  on  foot  as  fast  as 
we  were  able,  about  one  mile  and  a  half,  and  about 
thirty  Indians  following  to  where  their  horses  were 
left.  There  they  awaited  the  arrival  of  those  who 
staid  back  at  the  house  to  murder  the  family,  during 
which  delay  they  caught  and  carried  away  several  of 
my  father's  horses.  After  the  party  that  staid  behind 
came  up,  we  were  mounted  on  horseback.  The  rest 
all  at  the  same  time  mounted  their  horses.  We  rode 
in  great  haste  until  about  midnight.  They  then  halted 
and  dismounted,  and  spread  a  blanket  down,  bidding 
us  to  sit  on  it.  They  then  formed  a  circle  around 
us.  We  rested  here  about  two  hours.  They  then 
mounted  their  horses,  and  rode  at  as  fast  a  gait  as  we 
were  able  to  go,  until  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morn 
ing,  when  they  again  dismounted  and  spread  down 
their  blankets,  and  bid  us  to  sit  upon  them.  We  by 
this  time  were  almost  fatigued  to  death,  and  faint  with 
hunger;  they  here  scalded  some  beans,  and  eat  them 
heartily.  They  gave  some  to  us,  telling  us  to  eat; 
but  to  eat  raw  beans  was  what  we  could  not  do.  After 
they  had  satisfied  themselves  on  the  raw  beans,  they 
again  mounted  their  horses,  compelling  us  again 
to  mount  ours.  The  saddles  were  the  common  Indian 
saddles,  just  the  tree,  and  a  grained  deer  skin 
stretched  over  it,  and  the  roughest  going  kind  of 
horses.  We  thought  every  day  it  would  be  the  last 


LATE    INDIAN    WAR  89 

with  us.  We  rode  on  this  day,  until  about  sun  down, 
when  they  again  halted.  They  here  roasted  a  piece 
of  prairie  chicken  and  gave  us  to  eat.  I  suppose  we 
stayed  here  about  an  hour  and  a  half.  They  then 
mounted  again  and  rode  until  about  three  hours  in  the 
night,  when  they  met  the  main  army  under  Black 
Hawk.  We  now  fared  a  little  better.  When  they 
found  we  were  prisoners,  they  appeared  to  be  much 
pleased,  and  presented  us  with  their  best  diet,  consist 
ing  of  the  kernels  of  hazelnuts  and  sugar  mixed 
together,  as  a  token  of  friendship;  at  the  same  time 
they  gave  us  some  tobacco  and  parched  meal,  making 
signs  to  us  to  burn  it,  which  we  did  out  of  obedience 
to  them.  They  also  this  night  suffered  us  to  sleep 
together,  which  they  had  before  refused.  They  staid 
next  morning  until  a  late  hour.  They  prepared  red 
and  black  paints,  and  painted  one  side  of  our  head  and 
face  red,  and  the  other  black.  After  this  was  done 
eight  or  ten  of  their  leading  warriors  took  us  by  the 
hand  and  marched  round  their  encampment  several 
times.  They  then  took  us  into  the  midst  of  the 
whole  band  of  warriors,  spread  down  some  blankets, 
and  set  us  down  upon  them.  They  then  commenced 
dancing  around  us,  singing  and  yelling  in  a  most 
horrid  manner.  We  here  thought  they  intended  to 
kill  us.  After  they  had  danced  until  they  were  tired, 
and  quit  jumping  around  us,  two  squaws  came  to  us 
and  took  us  by  the  hand,  and  led  us  into  one  of  their 
wigwams,  where  we  staid  undisturbed  until  they  all 
could  pack  up  and  start,  which  they  did  in  a  very 
short  time. — We  now  all  took  up  the  line  of  march 
together,  and  rode  until  about  midnight,  when  we 
stopped.  We  were  again  separated,  and  had  not  the 
satisfaction  of  sleeping  together.  Next  morning,  which 
was  the  fourth  day  of  our  captivity,  they  cleaned  off  a 
place  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  round,  and  stuck  a  pole 


90  HISTORY     OF     THE 

down  in  the  middle  of  it.  We  were,  as  I  stated  before, 
again  placed  in  the  midst,  and  they  danced  around  us, 
still  singing  their  war  song.  They  here  staid  all  day, 
and  the  next  morning  took  up  the  line  of  march  again, 
and  marched  on  until  late  in  the  evening,  when  they 
again  cleared  off  another  place  as  before,  and  placing 
us  in  it,  commenced  dancing  around  us,  making  us 
kneel  down,  and  bow  our  faces  to  the  earth.  Here 
once  more,  from  their  actions,  we  thought  we  were 
going  to  be  killed;  which  we  would  almost  as  soon 
they  would  have  done  as  not,  for  we  were  nearly 
exhausted  with  fatigue,  on  account  of  the  long  and 
forced  marches  that  we  had  made.  Next  morning, 
which  was  the  sixth  day  after  our  captivity,  we  were 
again  mounted  on  our  horses,  and  marched  till  in  the 
afternoon,  when  they  again  stopped  and  went  through 
the  same  wretched  and  disagreeable  ceremony  of  clear 
ing  off  a  place,  and  dancing  and  singing  around,  while 
the  squaws  and  young  ones  were  generally  engaged 
when  we  stopped,  in  gathering  roots,  which  was  our 
principal  diet. 

"  When  they  killed  my  father  and  mother,  and  the 
rest  of  the  families,  they  took  what  coffee  there  was  in 
the  houses,  parched  it,  and  made  it  in  the  same  man 
ner  that  the  white  people  do;  we  frequently  got  some 
of  it  to  drink  while  it  lasted. 

"On  the  next  day  four  Winnebago  Indians  came  to 
the  place  where  we  were  encamped.  Here  a  long  coun 
cil  was  held  with  the  principal  war  chiefs  or  head  men 
of  the  nation.  After  the  talk  was  over,  one  of  the  Sacs 
came  and  took  me  by  the  hand,  and  led  me  up  to  where 
the  Winnebagoes  were  seated,  and  where  they  had  been 
for  some  time  in  council.  The  four  Winnebagoes  then 
all  arose  and  shook  me  by  the  hand.  Then  one  of 
them  made  signs  for  me  to  sit  down  by  him,  which  I 
did.  He  then  told  me  by  signs  that  I  belonged  to  him, 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR  91 

and  gave  me  to  understand,  in  the  same  way,  that  I 
must  go  along  with  him.  I  then  asked  him  if  they 
were  not  going  to  let  my  sister  go  with  me?  which  he 
understood.  I  now  discovered  that  I  had  been  pur 
chased,  but  Rachel  had  not.  The  Indians  who  had 
purchased  me,  again  renewed  their  talk  with  the  Sacs  and 
Foxes.  Here  another  long  council  was  held,  and  much 
warmth  appeared  to  be  excited  on  both  sides.  I  thought 
several  times  they  would  not  succeed  in  getting  my  sis 
ter.  But  at  the  close  of  the  talk  they  came  to  where  I 
was,  leading  Rachel  by  the  hand,  and  sat  her  down  by 
me.  This  was  about  an  hour  by  sun  in  the  evening. 
A  number  of  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians  now  came  and 
shook  us  by  the  hands,  and  bid  us  good  bye. 

"  We  then  started  and  rode  until  about  an  hour  in 
the  night,  as  fast  as  our  horses  were  able  to  run,  when 
we  came  to  where  their  squaws  were  encamped:  we  here 
staid  all  night.  Next  morning  we  went  up  the  Wis 
consin  river  in  canoes,  and  rowed  on  until  about  an  hour 
by  sun  in  the  evening.  Then  they  stopped  and  lay  by 
that  night  and  all  next  day,  and  till  eleven  or  ten  o'clock 
the  third  day;  when  twenty-four  of  the  Winnebagoes 
started  with  us  towards  the  settlements  in  Illinois;  for 
they  had  I  suppose,  taken  us  a  great  way  into  the  Mich 
igan  territory.  We  on  this  night  came  to  another 
Indian  encampment.  We  here  were  permitted  once 
more  to  taste  of  food  that  we  could  eat  a  little  of.  They 
had  pickle  pork  and  Irish  potatoes  cooked  up  together. 
Our  appetites  by  this  time  could  take  this  food,  although 
we  were  greatly  distressed  in  mind. 

"  Next  day  they  travelled  until  nearly  night,  when 
they  chanced  to  kill  a  deer.  They  cooked  it,  and 
devoured  it  in  a  very  few  minutes;  but  they  gave  us 
what  we  could  eat  of  it.  They  had  a  little  salt  which 
they  gave  us  to  salt  our  part  of  the  deer. 

"We  on  this  evening  got  to  the   Blue  Mounds,  in 


92  HISTORY    OF    THE 

the  mining  country.  There  was  a  small  fort  at  this 
place,  and  a  few  families.  It  was  an  outside  place  of 
the  inhabited  part,  and  on  the  north  side  of  the  mining 
country,  something  like  fifty  miles  north  of  the  south 
line  of  Michigan  territory. 

"  Next  morning  we  started  on  to  Gratiot's  Grove,  as 
it  was  called,  in  company  with  two  hundred  and  seven 
ty-three  soldiers,  and  the  same  twenty-four  Winnebago 
Indians.  In  five  or  six  miles  we  met  Henry  Gratiot, 
Indian  agent,  coming  to  meet  us.  We  then  understood 
that  he  and  General  Dodge  had  employed  the  Indians 
that  came  after  us,  to  do  so." 

I  then  inquired  of  her,  if  she  knew  how  much  the 
Winnebagoes  had  to  pay  for  them.  She  replied,  "  I 
understood  that  General  Dodge  and  Mr.  Gratiot  had 
given  them,  the  Winnebagoes,  two  thousand  dollars, 
paid  in  forty  horses,  wampum  and  other  trinkets,  to 
purchase  us  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes." 

"We  on  this  night  reached  the  White  Oak  Grove 
in  the  settlement  of  the  mines.  Next  day  we  reached 
Mr.  Henry  Grariot's.  We  here  remained  in  the  neigh 
borhood,  at  a  small  fort,  at  what  was  called  the  White 
Oak  Springs,  about  two  weeks.  We  then  went  to  Gale 
na  and  remained  about  one  week." 

I  then  inquired  of  her,  if  she  did  not  think  that  some 
of  the  Indians  that  were  engaged  in  taking  them,  were 
Pottawattomies?  to  which  she  replied,  that  "the  four 
who  took  them  by  the  hand  at  first,  were  Pottawatto 
mies;  for  one  of  them  she  had  frequently  seen  before." 

Oh,  reader,  let  us  here  stop  and  pause  for  one 
moment,  and  place  ourselves  in  the  situation  of  these 
two  weak  and  feeble  young  women,  who  had  just  been 
prisoners  in  the  hands  of  those  barbarians  for  eleven 
days.  Alas!  go  back  to  the  scene  of  the  massacre  of 
their  father,  mother,  brothers  and  sisters !  What  were 
their  feelings  ?  But,  oh  !  how  shall  I  begin  to  describe 


LATE    INDIAN    WAR  93 

them?  Alas!  if  I  were  only  a  Hervey,  a  Milton,  or  a 
Newton,  I  might  then  give  a  faint  glimmer  of  one  half 
of  the  anguish  of  their  bursting  hearts.  Torn  with  vio 
lence,  by  frightful  savages,  from  the  abodes  of  peace 
and  innocence ;  and,  oh !  still  worse,  to  behold  a  bleed 
ing  mother,  sinking  under  the  sharp  spear,  pierced  to 
her  heart  by  the  inhuman  butchers ;  and  to  see  a  dear 
and  beloved  father  struggling  with  death's  last  grasp  to 
save  his  beloved  family,  who  were  shrieking  around  him, 
and  beseeching  the  inhuman  murderers  to  spare  their 
lives  !  The  imagination  can  only  think  the  pain  they  suf 
fered  ;  but  it  is  impossible  to  write  it.  Forced  on  with 
all  possible  speed  to  where  the  butchers  were  prepared 
to  lead  them  captive  into  a  wilderness,  where  no  friendly 
voice  could  salute  their  ears,  no  soothing  comforter  to 
pour  the  oil  and  balm  of  consolation  into  their  swelling 
and  almost  bursting  hearts.  The  yell  of  the  war-song 
was  all  they  heard,  as  they  were  forced  away  with  all 
possible  speed  into  the  wilderness. 

Solitude  and  sorrow  appeared  now  to  be  their 
doom. — All  their  tears  and  entreaties  were  unheard. 
Their  persecutors  were  deaf  to  any  feeling  for  the 
anguish  of  soul  that  appeared  to  wring  their  bosoms. 
Yea,  the  sea  of  trouble  and  sorrow  that  they  were 
engulfed  in,  never  moved  their  savage  hearts. 

What  was  now  the  prospect  of  future  happiness  on 
earth  ? — their  beloved  friends  inhumanly  murdered, 
and  they  shut  out  from  all  the  civilized  world,  far, 
far  away  in  the  wilderness,  where  the  foot  of  a  white 
man  had  scarcely  ever  trod — their  meat  and  drink 
only  bitter  tears — nights  passed  in  sorrow,  mornings 
awaked  to  cares  and  fatigue — the  few  hours  that  they 
had  to  rest,  the  war  dance  around  them  harrowed  up 
the  most  awful  sensations  in  their  breast [s],  expecting 
at  every  dance  to  become  a  prey  to  their  vengeance. 
Oh,  horrid  thought!  It  is  enough  to  start  a  tear  in 


94  HISTORY     OF     THE 

the  eye  of  the  most  stout  hearted  to  think  of  the 
swelling  bosoms  of  those  forlorn  and  disconsolate 
young  women. 

But  let  us  with  the  poet  say, 

"Why  should  we  weep,  why  should  we  weep, 

When  heaven  throws  such  beams  of  love  around, 

That,  mingled  with  the  darkest  woes, 
The  rays  of  hope  are  found  ? 

Why  should  we  weep,  when  every   storm 

That  sweeps  o'er  ocean's  breast, 
Awakes  a  gem  whose  sparkling  form 

Had  else  remained  at  rest? 

Why  should  we  weep,  when  every  flower 

That  closes  with  the  night, 
Shall  blush  anew  in  beauty's  power, 

When  morn  renews  its  light  ? 

Why  should  we  weep,  when  placed  on  high, 

The  bow,  divinely  sent, 
Still  shows,  when  clouds  obscure  the  sky, 

How  quickly  they  are  spent  ? 

Why  should  we  weep,  when  dawning  days 

And  years  so  swiftly  run  ? 
We  only  lose  their  setting  light, 

To  hail  their  brighter  dawn." 

It  appears  that  the  Winnebagoes  had  much  trouble 
to  purchase  Rachel,  and  from  the  best  information 
that  can  be  obtained  on  the  subject,  they  had  to  use 
threats,  and  had  to  pay  an  additional  sum  of  ten 
horses.  A  young  warrior,  it  appears,  claimed  her  as 
his  prize,  and  at  first  positively  refused  to  give  her  up. 
When  he  did  so,  he  cut  a  lock  of  her  hair  out  of  her 
head.  This  I  suppose  he  intended  to  keep  as  a 
trophy  of  his  warlike  exploits. 

This  now  must  have  been  the  worst  cut  of  all,  to 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR  95 

attempt  a  separation  of  them,  as  they  now  supposed, 
the  only  survivors  of  the  family,  and  to  take  one  away 
from  the  other,  would  be  worse  than  death  to  them; 
but  an  all-wise  Providence  did  not  see  fit  to  inflict  this 
wound  upon  them.  He  had  watched  over  them  in 
the  trying  scene  that  they  had  already  undergone,  and 
he  saw  fit  to  release  them  from  savage  bondage.  He 
heard  their  cries,  and  saw  the  distress  they  were  in. 
They  were  now  alone,  and  orphans  in  the  world. 

What  now  was  most  interesting  to  them,  was  peace 
of  mind.  To  forget  their  murdered  father  and  mother 
was  impossible.  Were  all  joys  on  earth  now  gone? 
Were  they  forsaken  by  all  the  world?  Were  none 
left  to  pour  the  oil  of  balm  and  comfort  into  their 
wounded  bosoms?  Yes,  there  were.  The  guardian 
angels  of  heaven  had  prepared  a  second  father  to  take 
them  by  the  hand,  and  point  to  them  the  path  to  happi 
ness  ;  and  that  path  was  an  interest  in  the  blood  of  a 
crucified  Redeemer,  which  is  a  source  of  happiness  to  the 
mind  when  all  earthly  happiness  fails,  if  there  is  such 
a  thing  as  earthly  happiness.  That  person  they  found 
in  the  Reverend  Mr.  Horn.  He  had  known  them 
when  they  were  children — he  had  been  a  companion 
and  friend  of  their  deceased  father  and  mother;  he 
felt  now  for  the  fatherless  and  unoffending  orphans; 
with  the  affections  of  a  father  he  flew  to  them  to  ad 
minister  comfort  to  their  heaving  bosoms,  which  were 
wrung  with  the  keenest  pangs,  when  they  thought  of 
the  loss  of  their  friends.  He  now  saw  that  there  was 
only  one  way  that  they  could  see  any  degree  of  happi 
ness,  and  that  was,  to  point  to  them  the  comfort  of  re 
ligion,  which  he  did  by  exhortation,  entreating  them  to 
prepare  to  meet  father,  mother,  brothers,  and  sisters,  on 
the  banks  of  deliverance  beyond  the  grave,  where  the 
wicked  cease  from  troubling,  and  the  weary  are  at  rest. 
They  took  the  preacher's  advice,  and  sought  and 


96  HISTORY    OF    THE 

obtained  comfort  in  the  blood  of  a  crucified  Redeemer, 
and,  as  I  have  every  reason  to  believe,  are  now  happy 
in  the  cause  of  religion,  and  preparing  to  meet  their 
kindred  friends  in  heaven. 

One  of  them,  Silbey,  [Sylvia]  the  eldest,  is  married, 
and  living  with  a  second  father  indeed;  his  son  William 
became  a  partner  of  her  cares  and  sorrows.  The 
younger,  Rachel,  is  also  married,  to  Mr.  William 
Munson,  and  living  in  Putnam  county. 

There  is  one  thing  more  I  cannot  dismiss  this  sub 
ject  and  leave  unnoticed.  Although  they  were  with 
the  savage  barbarians,  and  the  worst  of  inhuman 
butchers  that  probably  the  earth  affords,  they  never 
attempted  to  violate  their  chastity. 

This  is  one  of  the  noblest  traits  in  the  character  of 
a  savage,  and  one  that  appears  to  be  held  sacred  and 
inviolate  with  them.  But  nevertheless,  they  are  fond 
of  making  wives  of  prisoners.  But  it  must  be  done 
agreeably  to  the  custom  of  their  nation.  This  they 
hold  sacred,  for  they  think  if  they  were  to  violate  this 
rule  and  practice,  the  Great  Spirit  would  be  offended 
with  them. 

Thus,  reader,  terminates  the  account  of  the  two 
unfortunate  Miss  Halls,  who  suffered  everything  but 
death  with  those  Indian  barbarians. 

It  may  not  here  be  amiss  and  unprofitable  to  give 
the  reader  the  following  anecdote,  which  will  go  to 
show  how  easy  the  mind  of  a  man  can  be  alarmed,  and 
the  imagination  wrought  up  to  the  highest  pitch,  and 
the  great  danger  of  excitement  of  this  kind  upon  the 
female  sex. 

In  travelling  through  the  county  of  Fulton  not  long 
since,  I  chanced  to  stay  all  night  with  an  elderly  looking 
and  familiar  old  gentleman;  and  with  other  subjects 
which  we  had  talked  not  a  little  upon,  we  chanced  to 
dwell  upon  the  Black  Hawk  war.  I  asked  Mr.  F.  if  the 


LATE     INDIAN    WAR  97 

people  had  forted  in  that  neighborhood  during  the  great 
horror  and  alarm  that  were  excited  at  the  news  of  Major 
Stillman's  defeat  ?  to  which  he  replied,  that  he  had  not ; 
but  had  been  much  derided  for  being  so  foolhardy,  as 
they  called  it,  by  several  of  his  friends  and  neighbors  ; 
to  which  the  good  old  man  told  me  he  replied  to  them, 
that  if  he  could  see  a  man  running  towards  him  with  a 
bullet  hole  in  him,  and  the  blood  running  out  of  it,  and 
hear  unknown  voices  in  pursuit,  he  then  would  think 
there  was  danger. 

This  declaration  of  the  old  gentleman  made  me 
almost  think  with  his  neighbors,  until  he  stated  to  me 
the  cause  of  it;  which  I  here  Would  give  in  the  good  old 
man's  own  language,  but  as  he  understood  the  German 
language  better  than  the  English,  I  might  not  quote  it 
precisely  right.  But  what  the  old  gentleman  told  me, 
and  from  his  general  character  that  I  afterwards  learnt 
from  a  number  of  his  neighbors,  his  statement  was 
true.85 

As  near  as  I  could  collect,  both  from  him  and  his 
family,  who  joined  in  confirming  what  the  old  landlord 
stated,  and  which  could  be  proven  by  a  number  of  his 
neighbors,  it  was  as  follows:  Soon  after  Stillman's 
defeat,  a  party  of  the  troops  from  Fulton  county,  on 
their  return  home,  when  within  a  few  miles  of  Canton, 
in  said  county,  came  across  a  gang  of  wolves,  and  having 
got  into  the  settled  part  where  they  were  not  afraid, 
being  from  the  seat  of  war,  fired  upon  them,  at  the  same 
time  raising  the  war-whoop,  which  they  had  got  by 
heart  from  the  Indians  in  the  memorable  Indian  school 
on  the  night  of  the  fourteenth  of  May,  on  Sycamore 
creek.  This  frightful  yelling,  at  a  time  when  danger 
was  expected,  and  accompanied  with  the  firing  of  guns, 
was  heard  by  another  good  old  citizen  of  this  county, 
away  from  the  "far  east,"  who  happened  to  be  out  a  little 
ways  from  home,  who  took  the  alarm,  and  supposed 


98  HISTORY     OF     THE 

that  it  was  the  Indians  killing  his  neighbors,  made  shift 
to  get  to  the  first  of  his  horses  that  he  came  to,  and 
putting  on  a  bridle  to  guide  it,  never  took  time  to 
consult  the  great  benefit  of  a  saddle  in  riding  a  long  race, 
mounted  bareback ;  and  raising  the  cry  of  "  murder  !  " 
"  murder ! !  "  put  his  charger  to  the  lash.  He  passed 
by  home,  and  told  his  family  to  fly  with  all  possible 
speed,  who  it  appears  was  in  the  act  of  moving.  But 
one  of  the  family,  who  was  not  so  badly  alarmed  by  the 
shrieks  of  the  dying  neighbors,  observed  to  him  that  he 
had  left  his  son  in  the  mill;  to  which  he  replied,  "never 
mind  my  son,  he  is  a  cripple  and  cannot  run,  —  they 
are  certain  to  kill  him  —  each  one  of  you  save  your 
selves  if  you  can  ! "  So  saying,  he  put  his  charger  to  it 
might  and  main,  and  at  the  same  time  crying  out 
"  murder  !  "  "  murder  !!  "  to  all  he  passed  or  met,  he 
left  all  the  world  behind  him,  never  dreaming  that  he 
was  suffering  for  the  want  of  a  saddle  until  he  had  got 
many  miles  from  the  scene  of  action.  He  then  beheld 
the  blood  trickling  down  his  legs,  from,  I  suppose  the 
hard  jolts  of  his  charger,  carrying  a  large  body  upon  a 
sharp  and  bony  back.  But  the  ingenious  old  son  of  the 
pilgrim  fathers  soon  found  means  to  supply  the  want  of 
a  saddle.  He  had,  a  few  days  before  the  action  took 
place,  helped  himself  to  a  new  hat ;  and  not  regarding 
the  price  of  a  hat  when  he  expected  every  moment  to 
hear  the  horrid  war-whoop  of  an  Indian  behind  him,  he 
made  a  saddle  of  his  new  beaver,  on  which  he  rode,  as 
Mr.  F.  informed  me,  until  he  came  to  Ross's  ferry,  on 
the  Illinois  river,  where  as  Mr.  F.  stated  the  citizens  of 
that  place  stopped  him,  or  he  would,  giving  it  in  the 
good  old  Dutchman's  own  language,  have  been  running 
yet ;  that  is,  if  his  horse  and  beaver  saddle  would  have 
lasted  so  long.  This  was  about  twenty-six  miles  from 
the  scene  of  action,  where  he  remained  many  days, 
apparently  in  a  state  of  insanity.  He  was  constantly 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR  99 

trying  to  devise  a  plan  to  fix  stirrups  to  his  hat,  and 
declared  that  if  he  only  had  a  pair  of  stirrups  hung  to 
his  beaver,  he  would  not  be  in  the  least  dread  of  an 
Indian  ever  overtaking  him;  but  he  was  frequently  heard 
to  cry  out  "  murder !  "  in  his  sleep,  as  at  first,  when  he 
started  on  his  race,  and  lamented  the  loss  of  the  poor 
crippled  mill  boy. 

But  Mr.  F.  stated  the  poor  crippled  mill  boy  stood 
his  ground,  and  his  father  having  plenty  of  powder  and 
lead  in  store,  issued  it  out  to  those  who  were  willing  to 
fight  in  defence  of  the  crippled  boy  and  the  women 
and  children. 

Now,  reader,  the  laughable  part  of  this  story  is  over, 
but  the  sorrowful  one  has  yet  to  come,  which  almost 
sickens  my  heart  to  relate,  and  I  would  fain  hope  it  was 
false ;  but  as  I  observed  in  the  beginning  of  this  story, 
it  has  come  from  too  respectable  a  source  for  me  to 
disbelieve  it. 

When  the  old  frightened  Mr.  C.  first  started  upon 
his  race,  he  cried  out  "murder!"  as  before  stated,  and 
told  the  people  as  he  went  that  the  Indians  were 
butchering  and  killing  the  people  behind  him ;  which, 
Mr.  F.  stated,  frightened  the  neighbors  in  such  a  horrid 
manner  that  they  took  to  flight.  The  women 
attempted  to  run,  each  carrying  one  of  their  children, 
or  two  of  them,  perhaps,  if  my  memory  serves  me,  on 
their  hips ;  running  in  this  way  something  like  six 
miles.  They  all  three  expired  in  a  few  days,  with  fright 
and  fatigue. 

The  other  anecdote  is  something  similar  to  the  first ; 
but  it  is  no  pain  for  me  to  relate  it,  as  it  was  not  of  so 
serious  a  nature ;  for  death  was  not  produced  by  it. 

Mr.  F.  stated,  that  some  place  on  the  eastern  side 
of  the  state,  perhaps  near  the  Iroquois,  a  small  stream 
in  the  north  east  corner  of  the  state  of  Illinois,  the  peo 
ple  being  much  alarmed  soon  after  the  murder  of  the 


ioo  HISTORY     OF    THE 

families  on  Indian  creek,  the  citizens  sent  out  a  spying 
party  to  the  frontiers  to  see  if  they  could  see  any  signs 
of  the  enemy  approaching  toward  the  settlements  where 
they  lived.  The  men  who  had  been  spying  for  the 
enemy,  on  their  return  late  in  the  evening,  thought 
they  saw  some  signs  of  Indians,  and  concluded  to  hasten 
and  report  danger  to  the  neighborhood.  In  a  few 
minutes  after  they  came  to  this  conclusion,  they  heard 
a  volley  of  guns  fired  in  quick  succession  behind  them, 
at  the  same  time  hallooing  by  a  number  of  voices,  and 
dogs  barking  behind  them. — This  was  enough  to  con 
firm  their  fears.  They  put  spurs  to  their  horses ;  each 
one  making  for  his  family.  As  they  proceeded,  they 
cried  out  to  the  citizens  to  fly,  and  said  the  Indians 
were  coming,  murdering  all  before  them,  for  they  had 
heard  them  killing  a  family  behind  them ;  and  that  they 
had  heard  the  shrieks  of  the  dying.  In  this  horrid 
rout  that  took  place  at  this  time,  there  was  a  family 
that  lived  near  the  river  before  mentioned ;  they  had 
no  horses,  but  a  large  family  of  small  children ;  the 
father  and  mother  each  took  a  child ;  the  rest  were 
directed  to  follow  on  foot  as  fast  as  possible.  The 
eldest  daughter  also  carried  one  of  the  children  that 
was  not  able  to  keep  up.  They  fled  to  the  river  where 
they  had  to  cross.  The  father  had  to  carry  over  all  the 
children,  at  different  times,  as  the  stream  was  high,  and 
so  rapid  the  mother  and  daughter  could  not  stem  the 
current  with  such  a  burden.  When  they  all,  as  they 
thought,  had  got  over,  they  started,  when  the  cry  of 
poor  little  Susan  was  heard  on  the  opposite  bank,  ask 
ing  if  they  were  not  going  to  take  her  with  them.  The 
frightened  father  again  prepared  to  plunge  into  the  strong 
current  for  his  child,  when  the  mother,  seeing  it,  cried 
out,  "  never  mind  Susan ;  we  have  succeeded  in  getting 
ten  over,  which  is  more  than  we  expected  at  first  —  and 
we  can  better  spare  Susan  than  you,  my  dear."  So 


LATE     INDIAN    WAR  101     .., 

poor  Susan,  who  was  only  about  four  y^ars  oldv.w.?s 
left  to  the  mercy  of  the  frightful  savage.  ,-  .  •  . 

But  poor  little  Susan  came  off  unhurt ;  one  of  the 
neighbors  who  was  out  a  hunting,  came  along  and  took 
charge  of  little  Susan,  the  eleventh,  who  had  been  so 
miserably  treated  by  her  mother. 

When  I  commenced  telling  of  these  two  anecdotes, 
I  observed  that  the  mind  of  man,  when  there  was  cause 
of  fear  or  suspicion  of  danger,  was  frequently  apt  to 
suffer  his  imaginations  to  lead  them  [him]  astray,  which 
was  the  case  at  this  time,  as  it  was  before  with  the  good  old 
cheese-maker.  Now  this  last  fright  was  occasioned  by 
a  parcel  of  boys  who  had  assembled  together  to  go 
squirrel  hunting;  for  the  squirrels  at  that  season  of  the 
year  were  very  bad  at  pulling  up  corn :  it  appears  that 
they  were  very  plenty,  and  several  of  them  shot  at  or 
near  the  same  time,  and  one  of  the  boys  wounding  one, 
brought  it  to  the  ground,  and  the  boys  gave  it  chase. 
It  was  this,  also  which  caused  poor  little  Susan  to  weep 
and  be  forsaken  by  father  and  mother. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

General  Alexander  returns  back  to  Fort  Kusbkanong  —  Generals 
Henry  and  Dodge  take  up  the  line  of  march  to  intercept  the 
enemy,  should  they  be  making  to  the  north  —  March  to  the 
Rapids  on  Rock  River  —  Come  to  a  Winnebago  Village  — 
Have  a  talk  with  the  Indians  —  Send  an  express  to  General 
Atkinson  —  They  come  across  the  trail  of  the  enemy  and 
return  —  Fired  on  as  they  enter  our  camp  —  We  take  up  the 
line  of  march  next  morning  in  pursuit  —  Terrible  storm  on  that 
evening  —  Second  day  come  to  the  Four  Lakes  —  Encamp 
there  —  A  description  [description^  of  those  Lakes  —  Doctor 
Philleo  kills  an  Indian  —  We  overtake  the  enemy  the  same 
evening^  and  have  a  general  battle  —  We  defeat  the  enemy  — 
They  retreat  across  the  Wisconsin  River  —  An  Indian  talks 
to  us  from  the  top  of  a  mountain  ^before  day,  on  the  next  night — 
General  Henry  addresses  his  men  —  Major  Ewing  with  his 
Spy  Battalion  proceeds  next  morning  to  the  top  of  the  moun 
tain  —  Makes  but  little  discovery. 

GENERALS  HENRY  AND  DODGE  had  by 
this  time,  come  to  the   conclusion   to  go    back 
around  the  head  of  Fox  river,  to  see  if  they  could 
not  fall  in  with  Black  Hawk,  and  stop  his  passage  to 
the  north ;  as  they  supposed  he  was  intending  to  make 
his  way  to  the  Chippeway  nation. 

General  Alexander  concluded88  that  it  was  best  to 
obey  General  Atkinson's  order.  He  accordingly  returned 
the  same  way  we  came,  to  join  General  Atkinson  ;  tak 
ing  with  him  twelve  days'  provision.  We  drew  the 
same  number  of  days'  rations. 

July  1 5th.  We  took  up  the  line  of  march  on  this 
day,  with  General  Henry  at  our  head,  with  the  intention 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR  103 

to  try  and  see  if  we  could  not  hunt  out  Black  Hawk. 
But  on  account  of  our  horses  taking  the  fright  on  the 
night  of  the  i2th,  our  brigade  was  very  much  weak 
ened.  The  next  morning  after  we  started,  the  morn 
ing  report  was  made  out:  General  Henry  had  six 
hundred  effective  men  ;  and  Colonel  Dodge's  corps  was 
reduced  to  one  hundred  and  fifty,  or  nearly  so ;  but 
their  weakness  did  not  discourage  these  true  men,  nor 
any  of  their  officers. 

We  had  now  the  brave  General  Henry  at  our  head, 
and  our  intention  was  to  find  the  enemy,  if  they  were 
to  be  found  in  this  region  of  the  country.  We  now 
went  with  more  speed  than  we  had  done  before;  the 
men  appeared  to  have  imbibed  new  spirit.  They  had 
a  prospect  of  falling  in  with  the  enemy,  and  they  well 
knew,  that,  if  we  went  back  to  Gen.  Atkinson  by  the 
way  we  came  to  fort  Winnebago,  there  would  be  but 
a  very  slight  chance  of  ever  seeing  an  Indian;  for  they 
now  had  been  watching  him  some  time;  and  being 
intimately  acquainted  with  the  situation  of  the  country, 
they  could  dodge  from  swamp  to  swamp,  and  bid  him 
defiance.  We  now  thought  that  while  they  were 
watching  Gen.  Atkinson,  we  could  steal  upon  old 
Black  Hawk,  and  take  him  by  surprise. 

We  had  Poquet,  the  half-breed,  whom  I  have  men 
tioned  before,  and  twelve  Winnebago  Indians  with  us 
as  pilots,  and  progressed  with  considerable  speed. 
Nothing  of  importance  occurred  on  our  march  from 
the  1 5th  to  the  i8th.  We  this  day  came  to  a  small 
Winnebago  village,  on  Rock  river;  having  reached 
that  river  once  more,  though  some  distance  above  Gen. 
Atkinson. 

Generals  Henry  and  Dodge87  here  called  a  halt, 
and  had  a  talk  with  this  nation  of  the  forest — for  for 
est  it  really  was.  It  might  have  been  supposed,  from 
the  appearance  of  the  place  they  were  in,  that  they 


104  HISTORY     OF     THE 

had  tried  to  hide  from  all  the  world,  as  their  bark 
wigwams  were  in  the  midst  of  a  very  large  growth  of 
timber,  in  a  bend  of  the  river,  and  the  earth  was 
covered  with  an  almost  impenetrable  undergrowth. 

Gen.  Dodge  who  was  well  acquainted  with  the 
Winnebagoes,  attended  strictly  to  the  examination. 
They  were  asked  where  Black  Hawk  and  his  band 
were?  —  They  replied  that  they  were  above,  on  Rock 
river,  at  a  place  called  the  Cranberry  Lake,  about 
half  a  day's  travel  from  where  we  then  were.  Gen 
erals  Henry  and  Dodge  consulted  with  the  officers 
generally,  in  relation  to  the  course  most  proper  to  pur 
sue.  They  came  to  the  conclusion  to  send  an  express 
to  Gen.  Atkinson,  informing  him  that  they  had 
learned  where  Black  Hawk  was,  and  that  they  would 
march  against  him  on  the  next  day.  We  were  then, 
from  the  best  information  we  could  obtain  from  the 
Indians,  about  thirty-five  miles  above  Gen.  Atkinson 
where  he  was  still  engaged  in  building  a  fort,  at  Lake 
Kushkanong. 

It  may  not  be  considered  a  digression  to  state,  here, 
the  reasons  we  had  for  believing  that  the  Winnebagoes 
were  telling  us  the  truth;  for  \ve  had  been  a  long  time 
very  suspicious  that  they  were  secret  allies  of  Black 
Hawk,  as  we  caught  them  in  many  lies.  There  was 
one  fellow,  who,  on  examination,  stated  that  he  had 
come  from  Black  Hawk  only  two  days  before.  He 
was  then  asked  what  he  had  been  up  there  after r  He 
replied  that  he  had  two  sisters  married  to  Sac  men, 
and  that  each  of  his  sisters  had  six  daughters,  who 
were  also  married  to  Sac  men,  and  that  he  had  been 
up  to  see  them.  This  was  a  very  reasonable  story, 
and  we  thought  that  it  might  be  true.  But,  at  the 
same  rime,  it  went  to  show  that  they  were  to  some 
extent,  allies  of  the  Sacs,  as  thev  were  intermarried  so 
much  with  each  other. 


LATE    INDIAN    WAR  105 

Generals  Henry  and  Dodge  now  made  application 
for  a  pilot  to  go  with  two  of  our  men  to  Gen.  Atkin 
son,  to  inform  him  where  the  Indians  were,  and  that 
we  were  going  in  pursuit  of  them  the  next  day.  After 
some  Indian  chat  among  themselves,  they  reluctantly 
consented  that  Little  Thunder  should  go.  The  next 
thing  was,  to  get  two  of  our  men,  possessed  of  suffi 
cient  courage  and  perseverance  to  go.  Doctor  E.  H. 
Merryman,  Adjutant  of  Col.  Collins's  regiment,  and 
Mr.  W.  W.  Woodbridge,  Adjutant  of  Gen.  Dodge's 
squadron,  were  the  men  who  volunteered  to  perform 
this  important  and  hazardous  service.  They  started 
about  2  o'clock  P.  M.,  in  company  with  Little  Thunder 
as  their  pilot,  intending  to  reach  Gen.  Atkinson's 
camp  that  night;  but  they  had  not  proceeded  more  than 
eight  miles  before  they  came  upon  a  large  fresh  trail, 
which  they  soon  learnt,  by  its  appearance,  and  the 
signs  and  gestures  of  Little  Thunder,  their  pilot,  was 
that  of  Black  Hawk  and  his  whole  army  making  their 
escape. — They  pursued  their  course  a  little  further, 
intending  to  go  on  with  the  message;  but  this  Indian 
petitioned  them  to  go  back,  intimating  by  signs  that 
they  would  soon  be  killed  if  they  went  on.  The 
expresses  could  not  speak  his  language,  nor  could 
he  speak  theirs;  but  they  made  signs  for  him  to  pro 
ceed  with  them,  but  they  did  not  succeed  in  getting 
him  more  than  two  miles  further,  when  he  suddenly 
wheeled  his  horse  to  the  right-about,  and  giving  him 
timber,  left  them.  It  was  now  nearly  night,  and  the 
country  they  were  in  impassable  to  a  stranger;  the 
ground  being  covered  with  prickly  ash  and  white 
thorn;  and  in  the  midst  of  these  thickets  were  the 
worst  kind  of  swamps.  They  were  therefore  com 
pelled  to  return  to  their  camp.  It  was  some  time 
before  they  overtook  their  pilot,  and  after  dark  when 
they  got  back.  On  entering  the  encampment  the 


io6  HISTORY     OF     THE 

sentinels  fired  at  one  of  them,  and  came  very  near  killing 
him.  They  now  told  the  joyful  news,  that  they  had 
discovered  the  trail  of  Black  Hawk  and  his  band  mak 
ing  out  of  the  swamps,  which  seemed  to  give  new  life 
to  every  heart;  as  now  there  appeared  to  be  a  prospect 
of  bringing  our  toils  and  troubles  to  a  speedy  issue. 

Orders  were  accordingly  given  for  all  hands  to  be 
ready  for  an  early  march  next  morning  in  pursuit  of 
the  enemy.  At  the  dawn  of  day  the  bugle  sounded. 
All  now  were  up,  making  ready  with  great  eagerness 
for  a  march.  Here  we  had  to  leave  every  thing  that 
was  calculated  to  retard  our  march.  Five  baggage 
waggons,  sutlers'  stores  and  a  number  of  other  valuable 
articles  were  left,  in  order  that  we  should  have  nothing 
to  impede  us  on  our  march. 

July  1 9th.  This  day  we  had,  for  about  twelve  miles, 
the  worst  kind  of  road.  To  look  at  it,  it  appeared 
impossible  to  march  an  army  through  it.  Thickets  and 
swamps  of  the  worst  kind  we  had  to  go  through ;  but 
the  men  had  something  now  to  stimulate  them.  They 
saw  the  Sac  trail  fresh  before  them,  and  a  prospect  of 
bringing  our  campaign  to  an  end.  There  was  no 
murmuring,  no  excuses  made ;  none  getting  on  the  sick 
report.  If  we  came  to  a  swamp  that  our  horses  were 
not  able  to  carry  us  through,  we  dismounted,  turned  our 
horses  before  us,  and  stepped  in  ourselves,  sometimes 
up  to  our  arm-pits  in  mud  and  water.  In  this  way  we 
marched  with  great  celerity.  In  the  evening  of  this 
day,  it  commenced  thundering,  lightening,  and  raining 
tremendously.  We  stopped  not,  but  pushed  on.  The 
trail  appeared  to  be  still  getting  fresher,  and  the  ground 
better;  which  still  encouraged  us  to  overcome  every 
difficulty  found  in  the  way.  It  continued  raining  until 
dark,  and  indeed  until  after  dark.  We  now  saw  the 
want  of  our  tents  in  the  morning;  a  great  number  of  us 
having  left  this  necessary  article  behind,  in  order  to 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR  107 

favor  our  horses.  The  rain  ceased  before  day,  and  it 
turned  cold  and  chilly.  In  the  morning  we  arose  early, 
at  the  well  known  sound  of  the  bugle,  and  prepared  in 
a  very  short  time  our  rude  breakfast,  dried  our  clothes 
a  little,  and  by  seven  o'clock  were  on  the  march  at  a 
quick  pace. 

On  this  day  some  of  our  scouts  took  an  Indian  as  a 
prisoner.  On  examination  he  was  found  to  be  a 
Winnebago.  He  stated  that  Black  Hawk  was  but  a 
little  distance  ahead  of  us,  and  that  he  had  seen  some 
of  his  party  not  more  than  two  miles  ahead.  But  it  was 
a  bad  piece  of  conduct  on  our  part,  that  this  Indian  was 
not  kept  as  a  prisoner  of  war,  but  was  set  at  liberty,  and 
let  go :  no  doubt,  he  that  night  informed  the  Sacs  of 
our  pursuit. 

We  halted,  and  the  order  of  battle  was  formed,  as  we 
expected  we  would  overtake  them  this  evening.  The 
order  was  as  follows  :  General  Dodge  and  Major  Ewing 
were  to  bring  on  the  battle.  Major  Ewing  was  placed 
in  the  centre,  with  his  spy  battalion ;  Captain  Gentry 
and  Captain  Clark's  companies  on  our  right;  and 
Captain  Camp  and  Captain  Parkinson68  on  our  left. 
Our  own  battalion  (Major  Ewing's)  was  reduced  to  two 
companies,  (as  Captain  Webb  and  his  company  had 
been  left  at  Fort  Dixon .;)  Captain  Lindsey,  of  our 
battalion,  was  placed  on  the  right,  and  Captain  Huston's 
company  on  the  left ;  Colonel  Fry  and  his  regiment  on 
the  right;  and  Colonel  Jones  with  his  regiment  on  the 
left;  and  Colonel  Collins  in  the  centre.  In  this  order 
we  marched  in  quick  time,  with  all  possible  speed,  in 
hope  that  we  would  overtake  the  enemy  on  that  evening. 
We  were  close  to  the  Four  Lakes,  and  we  wished  to  come 
up  with  them  before  they  could  reach  that  place,  as  it 
was  known  to  be  a  strong  hold  for  the  Indians  ;  but  the 
day  was  not  long  enough  to  accomplish  this  desirable 
object.  We  reached  the  first  of  the  Four  Lakes  about 


io8  HISTORY    OF    THE 

sun  down.  General  Henry  here  called  a  halt,  and 
consulted  with  Poquet,  our  pilot,  as  to  the  country  we 
were  approaching.  Poquet,  who  was  well  acquainted 
with  this  country,  told  him  he  could  not  get  through  it 
after  night ;  that  we  had  to  march  close  to  the  margin 
of  the  lake  for  some  distance,  as  the  underwood  stood  so 
thick,  one  man  could  not  see  another  ten  steps.  General 
Henry  concluded  to  encamp  here  until  the  break  of  day. 
General  Dodge  sent  Captain  Dixon  [Joseph  Dickson] 
on  ahead  with  a  few  men,  to  see  if  they  could  make  any 
discovery  of  the  enemy,  who  returned  in  a  very  short 
time,  and  stated  they  had  seen  the  enemy's  rear  guard 
about  one  mile  and  a  half  distant. 

General  Henry  gave  strict  orders  for  every  man  to 
tie  up  his  horse,  so  as  to  be  ready  to  start  as  soon  as  it 
was  daylight.  The  order  was  strictly  obeyed,  and  after 
we  took  our  frugal  supper,  all  retired  to  rest,  except 
those  who  had  to  mount  guard ;  for  we  had  marched  a 
great  way  that  day,  and  many  were  still  wet  by  the  rain 
that  fell  the  preceding  night;  but  being  very  much 
fatigued  we  were  all  soon  lost  in  sleep,  except  those 
on  guard. 

July  2 1  st.  At  the  break  of  day  the  bugle  sounded, 
and  all  were  soon  up,  and  in  a  few  minutes  had  break 
fast  ready;  and  after  taking  a  little  food,  we  mounted 
our  horses,  and  again  commenced  the  pursuit. 

We  soon  found  that  the  pilot  had  told  us  no  lie;  for 
we  found  the  country  that  the  enemy  was  leading  us  into, 
to  be  worse  if  possible,  than  what  he  told  us.  We  could 
turn  neither  to  the  right  nor  left,  but  were  compelled  to 
follow  the  trail  the  Indians  had  made;  and  that  too,  for 
a  great  distance  at  the  edge  of  the  water  of  the  lake. 

Here  it  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  the  reader,  to 
give  a  small  outline  of  those  lakes.  From  a  description 
of  the  country,  a  person  would  very  naturally  suppose 
that  those  lakes  were  as  little  pleasing  to  the  eye  of  the 


LATE    INDIAN    WAR  109 

traveller,  as  the  country  is.  But  not  so.  I  think  they 
are  the  most  beautiful  bodies  of  water  I  ever  saw.  The 
first  one  that  we  came  to,  was  about  ten  miles  in  cir 
cumference,  and  the  water  as  clear  as  crystal.  The 
earth  sloped  back  in  a  gradual  rise ;  the  bottom  of  the 
lake  appeared  to  be  entirely  covered  with  white  pebbles, 
and  no  appearance  of  its  being  the  least  swampy.  The 
second  one  that  we  came  to,  appeared  to  be  much  larger. 
It  must  have  been  twenty  miles  in  circumference.  The 
ground  rose  very  high  all  around; — and  the  heaviest 
kind  of  timber  grew  close  to  the  water's  edge.  If 
those  lakes  were  anywhere  else,  except  in  the  country 
they  are,  they  would  be  considered  among  the  wonders 
of  the  world.  But  the  country  they  are  situated  in  is 
not  fit  for  any  civilized  nation  of  people  to  inhabit.  It 
appears  that  the  Almighty  intended  it  for  the  children 
of  the  forest.  The  other  two  lakes  we  did  not  get  close 
enough  to  for  me  to  give  a  complete  description  of 
them ;  but  those  who  saw  them,  stated  that  they  were 
very  much  like  the  other.  I  am  digressing  and  leaving 
my  subject  too  long ;  so  I  will  go  back  and  pursue  our 
march. 

We  had  not  marched  more  than  five  miles,  before 
Doctor  Philleo  "  came  back,  meeting  us,  with  the  scalp 
of  an  Indian.  He  had  been  on  ahead  with  the  front 
scouts,  and  came  on  this  Indian,  who  had  been  left  as  a 
rear  guard  to  watch  our  movements.  There  were  sev 
eral  shots  fired  at  him  about  the  same  time,  and  I 
suppose  all  hit  him,  from  the  number  of  bullet  holes 
that  were  in  him ;  but  Doctor  Philleo  scalped  him  ;  so 
he  was  called  Philleo's  Indian ;  which  reminds  me  of 
the  hunters :  He  who  draws  the  first  blood  is  entitled 
to  the  skin,  and  the  remainder  to  the  carcase,  if  there 
are  several  in  the  chase  ;  which  was  the  case  at  this  time. 

But  I  am  not  done  with  Doctor  Philleo  yet.  I  will 
show  you  that  he  is  a  good  soldier,  and  something  of 


no  HISTORY     OF     THE 

an  Indian  fighter.  The  signs  now  began  to  get  very 
fresh,  and  we  mended  our  pace  very  much.  We  had 
not  proceeded  more  than  ten  or  fifteen  miles  further, 
before  our  fighting  Doctor  run  afoul  of  two  more 
Indians;  he  showed  his  bravery  in  assisting  to  kill 
them.  I  suppose  he  killed  one,  and  Mr.  Sample  Jour 
ney  the  other ;  so  there  was  a  scalp  for  each.  But  one 
of  those  miserable  wretches  sold  his  life  as  dear  as  pos 
sible.  He,  in  the  act  of  falling  after  he  was  shot,  fired, 
and  shot  three  balls  into  a  gentleman  who  was  himself 
in  the  act  of  shooting  at  him.  The  balls  were  all  small ; 
one  went  through  his  thigh,  one  through  his  leg,  and 
the  other  through  his  foot.  I  am  sorry  that  I  have  for 
gotten  the  gentleman's  name ;  he  belonged  to  General 
Dodge's  squadron. 

We  now  doubled  our  speed,  all  were  anxious  to  press 
forward,  and  as  our  horses  were  nearly  worn  out,  we 
carried  nothing,  only  what  was  actually  necessary  for  us 
to  eat;  camp  kettles,  and  many  such  articles,  were  thrown 
away. 

The  trail  was  now  literally,  in  many  places,  strewed 
with  Indian  trinkets,  such  as  mats,  kettles,  &c. ;  which 
plainly  told  us  that  they  knew  we  were  in  pursuit.  We 
too,  saw  from  the  face  of  the  country  that  we  were 
drawing  close  to  the  Wisconsin  river,70  and  our  object 
was  to  overtake  them  before  they  reached  it ;  so  we  now 
went  as  fast  as  our  horses  were  able  to  carry  us ;  —  but 
this  was  too  severe  for  our  poor  horses ;  they  began  to 
give  out;  but  even  this  did  not  stop  a  man.  When 
ever  a  horse  gave  out,  the  rider  would  dismount,  throw 
off  his  saddle  and  bridle,  and  pursue  on  foot,  in  a  run, 
without  a  murmur.  I  think  the  number  of  horses  left 
this  day,  was  about  forty.  The  rear  guard  of  the  enemy 
began  by  this  time  (about  three  o'clock  P.  M.)  to  make 
feint  stands  ;  and  as  the  timber  stood  thick,  we  did  not 
know  but  that  the  whole  army  of  Black  Hawk  was 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR          in 

forming  for  action ;  in  consequence  of  which,  we  got 
down  and  formed  as  often  as  twice,  before  we  found  out 
that  their  object  was  to  keep  us  back  until  they  could 
gain  some  strong  position  to  fight  from.  Our  front 
scouts  now  were  determined  not  to  be  deceived  any 
more ;  but  the  next  they  came  to,  they  stopped  not  for 
their  feigned  manoeuvre,  but  pursued  them  to  the  main 
body  of  the  enemy.  They  returned  to  us  in  great  haste, 
and  informed  General  Henry  that  the  Indians  were 
forming  for  action. 

We  all  dismounted  in  an  instant.  The  line  of  battle 
was  then  formed  in  the  same  order  that  it  had  been  laid 
off  the  preceding  day  :  General  Dodge's  corps  and 
Major  E wing's  spy  battalion  still  in  front.  The  horses 
were  left,  and  every  fourth  man  detailed  to  hold  them  ; 
which  gave  seven  horses  to  each  man  to  hold. 

We  had  scarcely  time  to  form  on  foot,  before  the 
Indians  raised  the  war-whoop,  screaming  and  yell 
ing  hideously,  and  rushed  forward,  meeting  us  with  a 
heavy  charge.  General  Dodge  and  Major  Ewing  met 
them  also  with  a  charge,  which  produced  a  halt  on  the 
part  of  the  enemy.  Our  men  then  opened  a  tremen 
dous  volley  of  musquetry  upon  them,  and  accompanied 
it  with  the  most  terrific  yells  that  ever  came  from  the 
head  of  mortals,  except  from  the  savages  themselves. 
They  could  not  stand  this.  They  now  tried  their  well- 
known  practice  of  flanking :  but  here  they  were  headed 
again  by  the  brave  Colonel  Jones  and  his  regiment  who 
were  on  our  left,  where  he  met  them  in  the  most  fear 
less  manner,  and  opened  a  heavy  fire  upon  them.  Colo 
nel  Fry  was  placed  on  the  extreme  right.  They  tried 
his  line,  but  were  soon  repulsed.  Their  strong  position 
was  on  the  left,  or  near  the  centre,  where  Colonels 
Jones,  Dodge,  and  Ewing,  kept  up  a  constant  fire  upon 
them  for  something  like  half  an  hour. 

The  enemy  here  had  a  strong  position.      They  had 


ii2  HISTORY    OF    THE 

taken  shelter  in  some  very  high  grass,  where  they  could 
lie  down  and  load,  and  be  entirely  out  of  sight.  After 
fighting  them  in  this  position  for  at  least  thirty  minutes, 
during  which  time  Colonel  Jones  had  his  horse  shot 
from  under  him,  and  one  of  his  men  killed,71  and  sev 
eral  wounded.  Colonels  Dodge,  Ewing  and  Jones,  all 
requested  General  Henry  to  let  them  charge  upon  them 
at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  which  General  Henry 
readily  assented  to,  and  gave  the  order,  "  charge  !"  which 
was  obeyed  by  both  men  and  officers  in  a  most  fearless 
manner.  All  were  intent  upon  the  charge.  We  had 
to  charge  up  a  rising  piece  of  ground.  When  we  got 
on  the  top,  we  then  fired  perfectly  abreast.  They  could 
not  stand  this.  They  had  to  quit  their  hiding  place, 
and  made  good  their  retreat.  When  they  commenced 
retreating,  we  killed  a  great  number. 

Their  commander,  who,  it  was  said,  was  Na-pope, 
was  on  a  white  poney  [pony]  on  the  top  of  a  mountain 
in  the  rear  of  his  Indians  ;  who  certainly  had  one  of  the 
best  voices  for  command  I  ever  heard.  He  kept  up  a 
constant  yell,  until  his  men  began  to  retreat ;  when  he 
was  heard  no  more.  Colonel  Collins  was  kept  during 
this  engagement,  in  the  rear,  as  a  reserve,  and  to  keep 
the  enemy  from  flanking,  and  coming  in  upon  us  in  the 
rear,  which  was  a  very  good  arrangement  of  General 
Henry. 

It  was  now  nearly  sun  down,  and  still  raining  as  it 
had  been  all  the  evening ;  but  so  slow  that  we  made 
shift  to  keep  our  guns  dry.  The  enemy  retreated 
toward  the  river  with  considerable  speed.  The  ground 
they  were  retreating  to,  appeared  to  be  low  and  swampy ; 
and  on  the  bank  of  the  river  there  appeared  to  be  a 
heavy  body  of  timber,  which  the  enemy  could  reach 
before  we  could  bring  them  to  another  stand.  So 
General  Henry  concluded  not  to  pursue  them  any  fur 
ther  that  night,  but  remain  on  the  battle  ground  until 


LATE    INDIAN    WAR  113 

next  morning;  and  then  he  would  not  be  in  danger 
of  losing  so  many  of  his  men;  knowing  that,  in  the 
dark,  he  would  have  to  lose  a  number;  for  the  In 
dians  would  have  the  timber  to  fight  from,  while  we 
would  have  to  stand  in  the  open  prairie. 

Next  morning,  (July  22d,)  the  troops  were  paraded, 
and  put  in  battle  order  on  foot,  except  Colonel  Fry's 
regiment,  and  took  up  the  line  of  march  to  the  river ; 
leaving  Col.  Collins's  regiment  to  guard  the  horses 
and  baggage,  and  take  care  of  the  wounded. 

We  marched  down  to  the  river,  which  was  about 
one  mile  and  a  half  off;  but  before  we  reached  the 
bank,  we  had  a  very  bad  swamp  to  go  through,  fifty 
or  sixty  yards  on  this  side  of  the  timber,  which  stood 
very  high  on  the  bank  of  the  river.  We  now  saw 
that  General  Henry  had  acted  very  prudently.  If  he 
had  attempted  to  follow  them  the  evening  before,  he 
would  have  lost  a  great  many  of  his  men. 

When  we  got  to  the  bank,  we  found  they  had  made 
their  retreat  across  the  river  during  the  night,  leaving 
a  great  many  articles  of  their  trumpery  behind.  We 
also  saw  a  good  deal  of  blood,  where  their  wounded 
had  Wed.  We  now  returned  to  the  camp ;  seeing 
there  was  no  chance  to  follow  them  this  day  across  the 
river. 

We  in  this  battle  were  very  fortunate  indeed.  We 
had  only  one  man  killed  and  eight  wounded ;  and  we 
have  learned  since  the  battle,  that  we  killed  sixty-eight 
of  the  enemy,  and  wounded  a  considerable  number; 
twenty-five  of  whom,  they  report,  died  soon  after  the 
battle. 

We  now  were  nearly  out  of  provision,  and  to  take 
up  the  line  of  march  against  them,  in  the  condition 
our  horses  were  in,  told  us  plainly  that  we  would  suffer 
for  something  to  eat  before  we  could  get  it. 

We  buried  the  brave  young  man  who  was  killed, 


. 


n4  HISTORY     OF     THE 

with  the  honors  of  war.  It  was  stated  that  he  had  just 
shot  down  an  Indian,  when  he  received  the  mortal 
wound  himself.  His  name  was  John  Short,  and 
belonged  to  Captain  Briggs's  company  from  Randolph 
county.  He  had  a  brother  and  a  brother-in-law  in  the 
same  company,  who  witnessed  his  consignment  to  his 
mother  earth.  The  wounded  were  all  well  examined, 
and  none  pronounced  mortal. 

We  continued  this  day  on  the  battle  ground,  and 
prepared  litters  for  the  wounded  to  be  carried  on.  We 
spent  this  day  in  a  more  cheerful  manner  than  we  had 
done  any  other  day  since  we  had  been  on  the  campaign. 
We  felt  a  little  satisfaction  for  our  toils,  and  thought 
that  we  had  no  doubt  destroyed  a  number  of  the  very 
same  monsters  that  had  so  lately  been  imbruing  their 
hands  with  the  blood  of  our  fair  sex  —  the  helpless 
mother  and  unoffending  infant. 

We  dried  our  clothes  which  then  had  been  wet  for 
several  days.  This  day  was  spent  in  social  chat 
between  men  and  officers.  There  were  no  complaints 
made ;  all  had  fought  bravely ;  each  man  praised  his 
officers,  and  all  praised  our  General. 

Late  in  the  evening,  some  of  our  men,  who  had 
been  out  to  see  if  there  were  any  signs  of  the  enemy 
still  remaining  near  us,  returned,  and  stated  that  they 
saw  smoke  across  the  river. 

General  Henry  had  been  of  the  opinion  through  the 
day,  that  if  the  Indians  did  ever  intend  fighting  any 
more,  they  would  attack  us  that  night,  and  this  report 
went  to  confirm  him  in  his  belief  more  fully.  That 
night  he  had  a  larger  guard  than  usual.  He  made  use 
of  another  excellent  precaution.  He  had  fires  made 
in  advance  of  our  lines,  at  least  forty  yards,  and  had 
them  kept  burning  all  night.  Orders  were  given  for 
every  man  to  sleep  upon  his  arms :  so  that  he  could  be 
ready  for  action  at  the  shortest  notice,  should  an  alarm  be 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR          115 

given.  We  had  scarcely  got  to  sleep,  when  we  were 
alarmed  by  the  running  of  our  horses ;  we  had  to 
parade,  as  usual,  to  keep  them  from  killing  us.  Men 
and  officers  now  fully  expected  that  it  was  the  enemy 
who  frightened  them.  Orders  were  now  given,  for  no 
man  to  sleep  that  night,  but  for  every  man  to  stand  to 
his  arms,  and  be  ready  to  receive  the  enemy.  We  all 
now  expected  to  have  hard  fighting,  and  were  prepared 
for  the  worst.  There  was  not  a  man  who  shrunk  from 
his  duty.  All  punctually  obeyed  the  orders  of  his 
officers,  and  made  every  preparation  to  receive  the 
enemy,  should  he  come. 

About  one  hour  and  a  half  before  day,  on  the  same 
mountain  from  which  the  Indian  Chief  had  given  his 
orders  on  the  evening  of  the  battle,  we  heard  an  Indian 
voice,  in  loud  shrill  tones,  as  though  he  was  talking  to 
his  men,  and  giving  them  orders. 

General  Henry  had  his  men  all  paraded  in  order  of 
battle,  in  front  of  the  tents,  and  the  fires  roused  up. 
After  all  were  paraded,  General  Henry  addressed  his 
men  in  the  most  beautiful  manner  I  ever  heard  man 
speak  on  such  an  occasion.  I  am  sorry  I  cannot  give 
the  precise  words,  but  I  will  attempt  an  outline  of 
them.  The  Indian  was  still  yelling  in  the  most  loud 
and  terrific  manner.  General  Henry  commenced: 
"  My  brave  soldiers,  now  is  the  critical  and  trying 
moment;  hear  your  enemy  on  the  same  mountain  from 
which  you  drove  them  only  on  the  evening  before 
last,  giving  orders  for  a  charge  upon  you:  there  is  no 
doubt  but  that  they  have  mustered  all  their  strength  at 
this  time:  now  let  every  mother's  son  be  at  his  post: 
— Yes,  my  brave  soldiers,  you  have  stemmed  the  tor 
rent  of  every  opposition  —  you  have  stopped  not  for 
rivers,  swamps,  and,  one  might  say  almost  impenetra 
ble  forests;  suffered  through  the  beating  storm  of 
night,  amidst  the  sharpest  peals  of  thunder,  and  when 


n6  HISTORY    OF    THE 

the  heavens  appeared  a  plane  of  lightning.  My  brave 
boys,  hear  their  yells;  let  them  not  daunt  you;  remem 
ber  the  glory  you  won  on  the  evening  before  last;  be 
not  now  the  tarnishers  of  this  reputation,  that  you  are 
so  justly  entitled  to:  remember  that  you  are  fighting 
a  set  of  demons,  who  have  lately  been  taking  the  lives 
of  your  helpless  and  unoffending  neighbors.  Stand 
firm  my  brave  Suckers*  until  you  can  see  the  whites 
of  their  eyes,  before  you  discharge  your  muskets,  and 
then  meet  them  with  a  charge  as  you  have  before 
done,  and  that  too  with  great  success." 

The  Indian  all  this  time  was  talking  as  though  he 
was  addressing  his  men,  and  appeared  to  approach 
nearer.  Every  officer  then  on  the  ground,  was  at  his 
post,  and  had  his  particular  station  assigned  to  him, 
and  the  ground  he  was  to  occupy  during  the  action. 
In  this  order  we  stood  until  daylight.  Just  before 
day  the  Indian  quit  talking.  When  it  was  just  light 
enough  to  discover  a  man  a  short  distance,  the  brave 
and  fearless  Ewing  took  his  battalion  of  spies,  and 
mounted  on  horseback,  we  were  soon  at  the  top  of  the 
mountain  to  see  who  it  was  that  had  serenaded  us  so 
long,  at  that  late  hour  of  the  night.  We  found  only 
the  sign  of  a  few  horse  tracks,  that  appeared  as  though 
they  had  been  made  that  night.  We  marched  in 
quick  time  around  every  part  of  the  mountain,  and 
found  no  one.  We  took  a  circuitous  route  back  to 
camp,  but  found  no  one  on  the  way.  What  it  was 
that  made  this  Indian  act  so,  was  now  a  mystery  that 
no  one  could  solve.  But  before  the  reader  gets 
through  the  history  of  this  war,  he  will  find  out  the 
cause.  I  cannot  inform  him  now,  as  it  does  not  come 
in  its  proper  place. 

It  will  be  recollected  that  Doctor  Merryman  and 
Adjutant  Woodbridge,  were  both  started  as  express 

*  Suckers,  a  familiar  name  the  Illinoisans  are  known  by. 


LATE     INDIAN    WAR  117 

bearers  by  Generals  Henry  and  Dodge,  as  soon  as  the 
Winnebagoes  informed  them  that  the  Indians  were 
at  the  Cranberry  Lake;  and  had  to  return  on 
account  of  Little  Thunder  (who  was  their  pilot,)  get 
ting  frightened.  The  day  after  that,  late  in  the  even 
ing,  they  started  again  still  in  company  with  the  same 
pilot.  They  now  left  the  Sac  trail,  and  this  child  of 
the  forest  was  less  afraid;  so,  knowing  the  country 
well,  he  took  them  on  that  night,  amidst  the  storm, 
to  General  Atkinson's  camp,  or  fort  Kushkanong, 
where  General  Atkinson  was,  with  his  Infantry,  and 
those  of  our  volunteers,  who  had  lost  their  horses  at 
Fort  Winnebago.  The  next  day  Adjutants  Wood- 
bridge  and  Merryman,  still  with  the  same  pilot,  started 
back  to  General  Henry,  with  an  express  from  General 
Atkinson.  They  got  to  General  Henry  during  the 
action,  (July2ist,)  but  there  was  no  time  then  for 
reading  expresses;  nor  did  those  two  men  think  of 
delivering  expresses  at  that  time;  but  immediately 
went  to  fighting.  So  those  gentlemen  performed  a 
double  duty,  and  deserve  well  of  their  country  for  the 
important  services  they  rendered. 

Now  for  the  expresses.  General  Atkinson  directed 
General  Henry  to  pursue  on  the  trail  of  Black  Hawk 
until  he  could  overtake  him  and  to  defeat  or  capture 
him,  also  stating,  that  he  would  start  himself,  with  the 
Infantry  and  General  Alexander's  Brigade;  and  that 
the  rest  of  the  volunteers  who  were  with  him  under 
Lieutenant  Colonel  [P.  H.]  Sharp,  would  be  left  to 
guard  the  Fort;  and  that  they  would  go  by  way  of  the 
Blue  Mounds;  and  directed  us,  if  we  got  out  of  pro 
vision,  to  go  to  that  place  for  a  supply. 


W 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Generals  Henry  and  Dodge  march  to  the  Blue  Mounds  for  provi 
sion  —  There  meet  the  other  two  Brigades  —  Take  up  the  line 
of  march  across  the  Wisconsin  —  Again  get  on  the  trail  of  the 
enemy  —  Take  a  Winnebago  Indian  a  prisoner  —  He  gives 
information  that  the  enemy  is  four  days  ahead  of  us  —  We 
take  him  along  —  We  enter  the  Mountains  —  Bad  travel 
ling  —  Lose  a  number  of  horses  —  Overtake  the  enemy  at  the 
mouth  of  Bad-  Axe,  on  the  Mississippi  —  General  Engage 
ment  —  General  Henry  completely  routs  the  enemy. 

E  were  now  out  of  provisions,  and  were  obliged 
to  abandon  further  pursuit,  and  go  to  the  Blue 
Mounds  to  procure  a  supply.  Accordingly  on  the 
we  got  in  motion  again  ;  not  in  pursuit  of  the 
enemy,  but  for  bread  and  meat,  to  satisfy  our  appe 
tites  —  as  we  were  now  out  of  every  thing  to  eat. 

Our  wounded  this  day  suffered  very  much  on  account 
of  having  rough  ground  to  pass  over,  and  some  very 
muddy  creeks.  When  they  got  to  the  Blue  Mounds, 
they  were  very  hospitably  treated.  There  was  a  small 
fort  and  citizens  plenty,  who  did  not  think  it  the  least 
hardship  to  wait  on  those  who  had  been  shedding  their 
blood  to  revenge  the  wrongs  those  people  had  suffered. 
For  the  Indians  had  killed  three  valuable  men  within 
one  mile  of  this  place  ;  and  one  within  view  of  the  citi 
zens  who  were  in  it,  —  a  gentleman  by  the  name  of 
Green,  of  high  standing  in  society,  and  who  had  recently 
emigrated  from  the  east.  I  have  forgotten  the  names 
of  the  other  gentlemen,  but  can  say  that  the  citizens 
spoke  in  high  terms  of  their  worth,  and  seemed  to 
lament  their  loss.  [Emerson  Green  and  George  Force.] 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR  119 

We  here  found  a  part  of  General  Posey's  brigade,  who 
had  been  sent  from  Fort  Hamilton,  to  assist  in  guarding 
this  frontier  place.  An  express  had  been  sent  by  General 
Atkinson  to  General  Posey,  to  march  as  soon  as  possible 
to  a  small  town  on  the  Wisconsin  river,  to  intercept  the 
Indians,  should  any  of  them  go  down  the  river.  So,  in 
the  afternoon,  General  Posey,  from  Fort  Hamilton, 
passed  on  his  way  to  Helena ;  and  late  in  the  evening 
General  Atkinson  and  General  Alexander  arrived  with 
their  brigades;  leavingColonel  Sharp, with  thosewho  had 
lost  their  horses,  still  at  Fort  Kushkanong;  also  Captain 
Low  [Gideon  Lowe],  with  one  company  of  regulars. 

We  here  drew  three  days'  provision,  and  on  the 
twenty-fifth  we  took  up  the  line  of  march  for  Helena, 
on  the  Wisconsin  river,  where  we  intended  to  cross, 
again  to  take  up  the  pursuit  against  the  enemy.  Accord 
ingly  we  got  to  this  place  on  the  26th,  where  we  found 
General  Posey  with  his  brigade,  busily  employed  in 
making  rafts  to  cross  on.  This  once  bid  fair  to  be  a 
prosperous  place ;  there  were  some  tolerable  good  pine 
buildings  that  had  been  put  up ;  the  logs  had  been 
hewed,  and  of  course  were  very  light.  So  this  deserted 
village  was  pulled  down,  and  converted  into  rafts  for 
the  army  to  cross  the  river  on.  The  river  at  this  place 
is  nearly  as  wide  as  the  Mississippi;  but  not  near  so 
deep.  There  is  a  great  number  of  Islands  and  sand 
bars  in  it,  which  will  always  prevent  it  from  being  good 
for  steam  boat  navigation. 

We  now  once  more  had  all  the  Generals  together, 
but  not  all  the  men ;  there  had  been  a  great  falling  off 
in  all  the  brigades. 

General  Posey  who  commanded  the  first  brigade,  had 
but  about  two  hundred  men ;  a  great  number  having 
lost  their  horses,  and  some  being  on  the  sick  report. 
Colonel  Ewing's  regiment  had  been  sent  down  to 
Dixon's,  which  weakened  it  very  much. 


120  HISTORY    OF    THE 

The  second  brigade  was  nearly  in  the  same  condi 
tion  ;  a  great  many  being  on  foot,  and  some  on  the  sick 
report.  There  were  but  about  three  hundred  and  fifty 
in  this  brigade. 

General  Henry's  brigade  was  very  much  reduced, 
also.  So  the  whole  three  brigades  were  not  stronger 
than  one  of  them  was  at  first  setting  out  in  the  cam 
paign.  There  was  now  more  dissatisfaction  prevailing 
than  I  observed  during  the  whole  campaign.  The  gen 
eral  cry  with  all,  appeared  to  be,  that  we  would  never 
again  see  an  Indian  —  that  they  had  been  gone  so  long 
ahead  of  us,  we  would  never  be  able  to  overtake  them  ; 
and  the  men  generally  had  become  tired  of  hunting 
trails ;  and  now  we  had  to  hunt  this  trail  up  again.  So, 
there  was  nothing  to  stimulate  the  men,  because  all 
were  of  the  opinion  that  the  Indians  were  then  near 
the  Mississippi ;  as  the  distance  was  said  not  to  be  more 
than  eighty  miles ;  and  as  no  one  of  us  had  ever  been 
across,  we  had  no  idea  of  what  kind  of  country  we  would 
have  to  pass  through. 

The  army  commenced  crossing  this  stream  on  the 
2yth,  and  by  twelve  o'clock  on  the  28th,  we  were  over, 
and  ready  to  take  up  the  line  of  march. 

Two  of  our  men  at  this  place,  whilst  fishing,  found 
a  dead  Indian,  which  no  doubt  had  been  killed  at  our 
battle  on  the  Wisconsin;  as  I  have  no  doubt  the 
Indians  threw  many  of  their  dead  into  the  river  during 
the  night  after  the  battle  ;  and  many  that  were  wounded 
and  died  on  that  night ;  in  order  to  keep  us  from  scalp 
ing  them ;  as  those  superstitious  beings  think  it  the 
greatest  disgrace  for  one  of  their  nation  to  lose  his  scalp. 

Colonel  William  B.  Archer  had,  on  our  arrival  at  this 
place,  taken  about  twenty  men,  and  gone  up  the  river  to 
our  battle  ground,  to  ascertain  if  they  could  discover  any 
fresh  signs  of  the  Indians  returning,  or  what  direction 
they  had  gone  from  that  place.  They  found  no  new 


LATE    INDIAN    WAR  121 

sign  of  their  crossing  back.  The  remains  of  Mr. 
Short,  who  was  killed  in  the  battle,  had  not  been 
interrupted,  [sic.]  which  plainly  showed,  that  they  had 
not  been  back  since  we  had  left  there ;  for  if  they  had 
they  would  have  dug  up  the  corpse  for  the  purpose  of 
taking  his  scalp  off;  as  they  prize  a  scalp  above  any 
thing  else  in  their  warfare  ;  and  one  that  is  so  fortunate 
as  to  get  a  scalp,  feels  as  proud  as  if  he  had  killed  a 
white  man  and  lost  the  scalp. 

Colonel  Archer  spent  one  day  in  searching  for  the 
main  trail,  but  was  not  able  to  get  upon  it.  The 
friendly  Indians,  who  were  sent  with  him  as  pilots,  as 
usual,  seemed  to  act  cowardly.  So  he  returned  to  the 
main  army,  and  was  ready  to  take  up  the  line  of  march 
with  us. 

July  28th.  We  this  day,  at  12  o'clock,  again  got 
in  motion,  with  General  Atkinson  at  our  head. 

The  brigades  of  Posey,  Alexander  and  Henry,  were 
all  now  together;  and  about  four  hundred  and  fifty 
regulars  under  the  command  of  General  Brady.  The 
regular  field  officers  were  Colonel  Taylor,  Major  W. 
Riley,72  Major  Morgan,  and  the  others  not  recollected. 
Captain  Johnson,  and  Thomas  C.  Brown,  (volunteer 
aids,)  Aids-de-Camp  of  General  Atkinson ;  and  Lieu 
tenant  Anderson,73  Brigade  Major.  The  author  is 
sorry  that  he  cannot  give  the  names  of  the  other  regu 
lar  officers,  as  they  were  all  deserving  well  of  their 
country. 

We  had  not  this  day  marched  more  than  five  miles, 
before  we  came  upon  the  main  Indian  trail.  We  had 
started  up  the  river  in  order  to  get  on  it,  opposite  to 
where  we  had  the  battle,  or  near  that  place;  as  we 
were  of  opinion  they  would  make  up  the  river,  rather 
than  down.  But  here  we  were  greatly  disappointed. 
We  got  upon  the  trail  much  sooner  than  we  expected, 
and  found  that  we  could  follow  it  without  any  difficulty. 


122  HISTORY     OF     THE 

It  appeared  to  be  making  down  the  river,  too, 
which  pleased  us  still  better.  We  had  understood 
that,  north  of  us,  the  country  was  very  mountainous, 
and  almost  impassable. 

We  followed  the  trail  until  a  late  hour  this  evening. 
Nothing  of  importance  occurred  this  night.  All  now 
were  once  more  satisfied,  that  we  had  again  got  on  the 
trail,  without  having  to  hunt  for  it,  as  we  heretofore 
had  done.  There  was  now  a  hope  once  more,  of  fall 
ing  in  with  the  enemy,  —  all  murmuring  again  ceased. 
The  great  object  then  was,  with  all,  to  push  ahead,  for 
fear  the  enemy  might  cross  the  Mississippi  before  we 
could  overtake  them. 

July  29th.  We  started  this  morning  very  early, 
and  had  proceeded  but  a  short  distance,  before  we 
came  upon  one  of  their  encampments.  We  found 
that  they  were  still  killing  their  horses  to  eat.  They 
here  had  killed  the  willing  animal,  that  had  carried 
them,  no  doubt  for  miles,  and  through  many  dangers. 
We  now  discovered  that  the  enemy  was  about  four 
days  ahead  of  us,  and  were  still  flying  from  us  with  all 
speed. 

July  joth.  We  this  morning  quickened  our  pace, 
and  marched  as  fast  as  the  nature  of  the  case  would 
admit  of;  but  we  soon  found  that  the  game  that  we 
were  in  chase  of,  had  taken  a  track  to  the  north ;  and 
our  troubles,  seemed  to  be  returning  on  us.  We  dis 
covered  they  were  making  up  a  bad  swampy  stream, 
apparently  in  order  to  find  a  crossing  place.  Before 
we  succeeded  in  crossing  this  stream,  we  found  our 
selves  going  back,  in  the  same  direction  we  had  come ; 
but  after  we  had  crossed,  we,  not  unlike  a  parcel  of 
hounds  after  a  fox,  had  to  take  another  track  to  the 
south.  We  now  found  that  we  were  leaving  the  Wis 
consin  river,  and  were  getting  into  a  miserable  country. 
We  had  proceeded  but  a  few  miles,  before  we  came  to 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR  123 

another  stream,  that  appeared  to  be  worse  than  any  we 
had  yet  met  with.  We  here  had  to  make  a  retrograde 
movement,  and  go  up  a  short  distance,  and  make  a 
bridge ;  which  we  soon  did.  As  soon  as  we  crossed, 
we  measured  our  course  back  to  the  trail,  the  general 
direction  of  which  we  now  found,  to  be  west  by  north 
west;  but  found  that  we  were  likely  to  get  into  a 
dreadful  country.  That,  however  mattered  naught ; 
we  were  on  the  trail  of  the  enemy,  and  had,  as  we  then 
thought,  gone  through  the  worst  country  in  the  known 
world.  We  had  not  the  most  distant  thought  that  we 
would  see  another  half  as  bad  as  that  we  had  passed 
through.  The  idea  that  we  would  soon  get  into  a 
more  level,  and  better  travelling  country,  encouraged 
us  to  push  on,  and  surmount,  for  awhile,  every  difficulty 
that  might  come  in  our  way. 

We  went  on,  that  day,  with  considerable  celerity, 
until  about  one  o'clock,  at  which  time  some  of  our 
front  scouts  caught  an  Indian,  who,  upon  examination, 
turned  out  to  be  a  Winnebago.  We  here  stopped  and 
let  our  horses  graze,  while  the  Indian  was  undergoing 
an  examination. 

Captain  Craig,74  from  Galena,  with  a  very  respectable 
company  from  the  county  of  Jo  Daviess,  came  up  and 
joined  General  Dodge's  squadron,  which  added  very 
much  to  the  strength  of  it.  The  Indian  that  was  taken 
here  as  a  prisoner,  said  on  examination,  that  the  Indians 
had  encamped  close  by  there,  and  had  been  gone  four 
days.  He  stated  that  they  had  a  number  of  wounded 
that  were  laying  on  their  horses,  and  that  two  of  them 
died  the  night  they  staid  here.  We  did  not  get  much 
information  from  this  son  of  the  forest ;  nevertheless, 
we  concluded  to  take  him  with  us.  He  at  first  wanted 
to  stay ;  but,  after  finding  out  that  we  would  not  injure 
him,  and  that  there  was  a  tolerable  good  chance  to  get 
plenty  to  eat,  he  went  cheerfully.  There  was  another 


i24  HISTORY    OF    THE 

old  fellow,  taken  as  a  prisoner,  who  was  suffered  to  go 
away.  He  went  to  where  the  Winnebagoes  had  a  small 
village.  Three  more  of  the  children  of  these  wild  and 
dreary  looking  mountains  came  to  us,  after  we  had 
stopped  to  encamp.  They  came  with  a  sort  of  white 
flag,  which  they  carried  on  a  stick.  Mr.  Chiler  Arm 
strong,  a  gentleman  belonging  to  General  Dodge's  corps, 
was  the  only  one  that  could  talk  with  them  in  their 
language.  The  Indians  were  examined  respecting  the 
country,  but  could  not  tell  us  any  thing  about  it.  They 
stated  that  they  never  knew  of  any  person  to  cross 
these  mountains  but  once;  that  was  in  the  year  1827, 
when  the  Winnebagoes  attacked  Captain  Lindsey's 
keel  boats ;  the  same  Captain  Lindsey  who  then  com 
manded  a  company  of  spies  belonging  to  Major  Ewing's 
battalion;  who,  after  their  attack  upon  the  keel  boats, 
made  their  retreat  across  these  mountains.  We  found 
the  Sacs  were  keeping  the  same  trail  the  Winnebagoes 
then  made. 

We  had  just  entered  those  mountains ;  and  as  an  all- 
wise  Providence  had  so  directed  it,  no  one  knew  how 
bad  they  were ;  for  if  they  had  known  the  difficulty  of 
crossing,  and  the  distance  across,  them  —  and  besides, 
that  there  was  nothing  for  our  horses  to  eat,  but  weeds — 
neither  officers  or  men,  would  have  undertaken  to  go 
through  them. 

But  an  all-wise  Creator  has  ordained  it,  that  man  is  not 
to  know  one  day,  that  which  he  has  to  undergo  on  the 
next ;  for  if  he  did,  he  would  be  a  miserable,  unhappy 
being;  but  as  it  is  with  man,  he  is  kept  in  blindness 
as  to  his  pilgrimage  through  life.  But  hope  steps  in, 
and  tells  him  his  path  will  be  smoother  by-and-by  ;  so 
hope  keeps  the  creature  in  good  spirits,  which  causes 
him  to  pursue  more  diligently  —  still  thinking  things 
will  change  for  the  better,  and  the  rough  path  through 
life  will  become  smooth,  and  then  his  toils  will  be  over. 


LATE    INDIAN    WAR  125 

This  was  our  situation  at  the  time :  no  one  knew, 
what  a  country  we  were  now  about  to  approach. 

July  joth.  We  started  early  this  morning,  thinking 
that  we  would  soon  come  to  some  good  range  for  our 
horses,  as  we  had  encamped  on  the  side  of  a  mountain 
that  was  so  barren,  that  it  had  no  vegetation  on  it  fit 
for  a  horse  to  eat.  But  to  our  extreme  disappointment, 
we  continued  going  from  mountain  to  mountain;  and  in 
the  place  of  getting  better  grazing,  we  found  it  getting 
worse.  About  twelve  o'clock  we  were  obliged  to  stop 
and  refresh  our  horses,  by  letting  them  graze  on  weeds, 
and  browse  on  such  few  things  as  they  could  get.  The 
horses  were  not  choice  now,  as  to  what  they  took  hold 
of;  they  were  extremely  hungry,  and  soon  filled  their 
stomachs  with  whatever  they  could  catch  on  the  sides 
of  the  mountains  ;  which  were  principally  weeds,  and  a 
kind  of  a  vine  which  grew  close  to  the  ground. 

General  Atkinson  had  succeeded  in  getting  a  waggon 
on  thus  far ;  but  here  it  was  found  impossible  to  take  it 
any  further.  The  waggon  contained  his  own  private 
stores ;  but  here  all  had  to  be  left  that  could  not  be 
packed  on  horse-back.  A  number  of  articles  were 
packed  on  horses,  that  I  never  saw  before  :  All  medical 
stores,  such  as  boxes  and  kegs  were  lashed  on  the  pack- 
horses,  and  carried  over  those  almost  impenetrable 
mountains. 

We  now  saw  ourselves  enveloped  in  a  mass  of  the 
tallest  and  steepest  mountains  we  had  ever  seen,  and  no 
one  to  tell  us  how  long  it  would  be  before  we  would  get 
through  them. 

But  the  whole  army  was  in  good  health,  and  in  fine 
spirits.  We  were  not  like  Bonaparte,  when  he  crossed 
the  Alps  —  we  lost  none  of  our  men  in  heaps  of  snow, 
nor  did  any  die  with  hunger. 

General  Atkinson  had  been  famous  from  the  com 
mencement  of  the  campaign,  for  providing  plenty  of 


126  HISTORY     OF     THE 

provisions.  We  had  our  horses  well  packed  with  this 
necessary  article.  We  also  had  a  number  of  good 
beeves  along ;  so  we  had  no  fear  of  starving. 

On  this  day  we  began  to  find  the  trail  strewed  with 
the  dead  bodies  of  Indians,  who  had  died  with  the 
wounds  they  had  received  in  the  battle  near  the  Wis 
consin  river. 

On  the  next  day,  which  was  July  3  ist,  we  were  about 
the  center  of  those  majestic  mountains.  It  most 
certainly  was  a  grand  and  majestic  sight.  They  were 
very  lofty,  and  generally  covered  with  the  largest  kind 
of  timber,  with  a  thick  undergrowth.  This  was  truly 
a  lonely  and  disheartening  place.  The  matin  song  of 
the  red  bird,  nightingale  and  sparrow  were  all  that 
could  be  heard,  and  the  only  inhabitants  of  those  grand 
and  majestic  looking  mountains. 

There  are  places,  where  we  at  once  are  at  home  with 
nature  —  where  she  seems  to  take  us  to  her  bosom, 
with  all  the  fondness  of  a  mother,  although  in  a  strange 
land.  But  not  so  here:  There  was  nothing  to  entice 
the  traveller  to  make  a  stop,  except  a  view  of  the 
height  and  grandeur  of  those  piles  of  earth,  which  do 
not  seem  to  look  as  though  they  ever  can  be  inhabited 
by  any  civilized  people  in  the  world. 

There  is  not  the  smallest  kind  of  bottom  between 
those  mountains.  We  generally  found  good  water  at 
the  foot  of  them;  but  scarcely  ever  enough  to  have 
afforded  ground  for  a  small  garden.  So  it  appears 
that  this  country  was  formed  by  the  great  I-Am,  for 
some  purpose  that  the  children  of  men  have  not  yet 
found  out. 

It  cannot  be  for  those  unhappy  children  of  the 
forest,  for  they  are  disposed  to  reside  where  they  can 
make  t'heir  living  by  the  chase.  But  here  was  no 
game  for  them  to  chase;  no  lakes  or  streams  for  them 
to  paddle  their  canoes  in,  or  fish  to  angle  for.  We 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR  127 

were  the  first  civilized  people  that  ever  had  entered 
this  tremendous  pile  of  mountains.  They  are  now 
found  out,  and  I  must  leave  them,  for  some  person 
more  able  to  describe  further  than  I  have  done. 

August  i  st.  We  this  day  passed  a  number  of  dead 
Indians,  who  had  died  in  consequence  of  wounds  they 
had  received  at  the  battle  near  the  Wisconsin  river. 
There  were  five  found,  it  is  said,  in  going  the  distance 
of  five  miles. 

About  twelve  o'clock  this  day,  we  came  to  a  small 
river,  which  was  called  Kickapoo.  We  here  found 
that  the  country  was  about  to  change.  A  short  dis 
tance  before  we  got  to  this  stream,  we  came  to  a  beau 
tiful  body  of  pine  timber,  which  was  tall  and  large. 
As  soon  as  we  crossed  this  stream,  we  found  the 
mountains  were  covered  with  prairie  grass.  We  here 
found  the  Indian  trail  was  getting  fresher.  They  had 
encamped  at  this  creek. 

We  had  now  been  three  days  in  those  mountains, 
and  our  horses  had  lived  on  weeds,  except  those  that 
became  debilitated  and  were  left  behind;  for  a  great 
number  had  become  so,  and  left  to  starve  in  this 
dreary  waste. 

We  here  for  the  first  time  in  three  days,  had  an 
opportunity  of  turning  our  horses  out  to  graze. 
Accordingly  we  let  them  graze  for  about  an  hour, 
which  they  made  good  use  of,  and  during  which  we 
took  a  cold  check.  —  About  one  o'clock  we  started,  at 
a  faster  gait  than  usual.  We  found  from  the  face  of 
the  country,  that  we  were  not  a  great  way  from  the 
Mississippi.  The  country  was  still  hilly,  but  the  hills 
of  a  small  size,  and  almost  barren;  so  we  could  get 
along  with  more  speed.  It  gave  the  men  new  spirits. 
We  now  saw  that  our  horses  would  not  have  to  starve, 
as  we  had  begun  to  think  it  probable  that  they  would. 

On   this  evening  we  came  across  the  grave  of  an 


128  HISTORY    OF    THE 

Indian  chief,  who  was  buried  in  the  grandest  style  of 
Indian  burials;  painted,  and  otherwise  decorated,  as 
well  as  those  wretched  beings  were  able  to  do.  He 
was  placed  on  the  ground,  with  his  head  resting  against 
the  root  of  a  tree,  logs  were  placed  around  him,  and 
covered  over  with  bark;  and  on  top  of  which  green 
bushes  were  laid;  so  intended,  that  we  might  pass  by 
without  discovering  the  grave.  He  was  examined,  and 
found  to  have  been  shot. 

It  was  now  late  in  the  evening,  and  we  had  pro 
ceeded  but  a  short  distance  from  here,  before  some  of 
our  front  spies,  came  across  an  Indian  that  had  been 
left  behind  from  some  cause  or  other.  The  spies 
interrogated  him  about  Black  Hawk  and  his  band. 
He  stated  that  they  would  get  to  the  river  on  that  day, 
and  would  cross  over  on  the  next  morning.  The  old 
sinner  then  plead  for  quarters;  but  that  being  no  time 
to  be  plagued  with  the  charge  of  prisoners,  they  had  to 
leave  the  unhappy  wretch  behind,  which  appeared  to 
be  a  hard  case.  But,  no  doubt,  he  had  been  at  the 
massacre  of  a  number  of  our  own  citizens,  and  deserved 
to  die  for  the  crimes  which  he  had  perpetrated,  in 
taking  the  lives  of  harmless  and  unoffending  women 
and  children. 

We  this  day  made  a  tolerable  push,  having  marched 
until  eight  o'clock  at  night  before  we  stopt.  We 
then  halted,  and  formed  our  encampment:  But  it  was 
for  a  short  time  only. 

General  Atkinson  gave  orders  for  all  to  confine 
their  horses,  and  be  ready  to  march  by  two  o'clockTin 
pursuit  of  the  enemy. 

We  were  now  all  tired  and  hungry:  and  something 
to  eat  was  indispensably  necessary.  We  had  a  long 
way  to  go  after  water,  and  the  worst  kind  of  a  precipice 
to  go  down  and  up  to  procure  it.  All  was  now  a 
bustle  for  a  while  to  prepare  something  to  sustain 


LATE     INDIAN    WAR  129 

nature,  and  to  do  it  in  time  to  get  a  little  rest,  before 
we  would  have  to  march.  About  nine  o'clock,  the 
noise  began  to  die  away,  so  that,  by  ten  o'clock,  all 
was  [were]  lost  in  sleep,  but  the  sentinel  who  was  at 
his  post. 

At  the  appointed  hour  the  bugle  sounded:  all  were 
soon  up,  and  made  preparations  for  a  march  at  quick 
step;  moving  on  to  complete  the  work  of  death  upon 
those  unfortunate  children  of  the  forest. 

General  Atkinson,  this  morning,  had  the  army  laid  off 
and  arranged  in  the  following  manner:  General  Dodge, 
with  his  squadron  was  placed  in  front  —  the  Infantry 
next  —  the  second  brigade  next,  under  the  command 
of  General  Alexander  —  the  first  brigade  next,  under 
the  command  of  General  Posey  —  the  third  brigade 
next,  under  the  command  of  General  Henry. 

In  this  order  the  march  commenced.  We  had  not 
proceeded  more  than  four  or  five  miles,  before  there 
was  a  herald  sent  back,  informing  us  that  the  front 
spies  had  come  in  sight  of  the  enemy's  rear  guard. 
The  intelligence  was  soon  conveyed  to  General  Atkin 
son,  and  then  to  all  the  commanders  of  the  different 
brigades.  The  celerity  of  the  march  was  then  doubled, 
and  it  was  but  a  short  time  before  the  firing  of  the 
front  spies  commenced,  about  half  a  mile  in  front  of 
the  main  army.  The  Indians  retreated  toward  the 
Mississippi,  but  kept  up  a  retreating  fire  upon  our 
front  spies  for  some  time,  until  General  Dodge,  who 
commanded,  began  to  kill  them  very  fast.  The 
Indians  then  retreated  more  rapidly,  and  sought  refuge 
in  their  main  army,  which  was  lying  on  the  bank  of 
the  Mississippi,  where  they  had  joined  in  a  body  to 
defend  themselves,  and  sell  their  lives  as  dear  as  pos 
sible;  for  they  now  found  that  they  could  not  get  away 
from  us,  and  the  only  chance  for  them,  was,  to  fight 
until  thev  died. 


ijo  HISTORY     OF     THE 

General  Henry  had  this  morning  been  put  in  the 
rear,  but  he  did  not  remain  there  long.  Major  Ewing 
who  commanded  the  spy  battalion,  sent  his  Adjutant 
back  to  General  Henry,  informing  him  that  he  was  on 
the  main  trail.  Major  Ewing,  at  the  same  time, 
formed  his  men  in  order  of  battle,  and  awaited  the 
arrival  of  the  brigade,  which  marched  up  in  quick 
time.  When  they  came  up,  General  Henry  had  his 
men  formed  as  soon  as  possible  for  action;  he  placed 
Colonel  Jones  and  Major  Ewing  in  front.  General 
Atkinson  called  for  one  regiment  from  General  Hen 
ry's  brigade,  to  cover  his  rear.  General  H.  dispatched 
Colonel  Fry  with  his  regiment.  Colonel  Collins 
formed  on  the  right  of  Colonel  Jones  and  Major  Ewing; 
when  all  were  dismounted  and  marched  on  foot  in  the 
main  trail,  down  the  bluff  into  the  bottom. 

Here  it  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  Colonel  E.  C. 
March,  who  was  the  volunteer  Aid  to  General  Atkin 
son,  displayed  the  part  of  a  good  and  fearless  soldier; 
likewise  Major  McConnel.  They  went  ahead  and 
searched  out  the  main  trail  of  the  enemy.  We  here 
had  to  charge  for  some  considerable  distance,  over  the 
worst  kind  of  ground;  the  logs,  and  weeds  being  in 
some  places  as  high  as  a  man's  head.  All  this  did 
not  stop  us;  General  Henry,  with  his  Aids,  Majors 
Johnson75  and  McConnel,  in  front,  and  the  brave 
Colonel  March  leading  the  van. 

We  pursued  on,  until  Colonel  Jones  and  Major 
Ewing  commenced  a  fire  on  the  main  body  of  the 
enemy;  at  which  time  General  Henry  sent  back  an 
officer  to  bring  up  Colonel  Fry  with  his  regiment. 
Colonel  Collins  was  by  this  time  in  the  heat  of  the 
action  with  his  regiment.  Captain  Gentry  from  Gen 
eral  Dodge's  corps,  was  by  this  time  also  up,  and 
opened  a  heavy  fire.  He  fell  into  the  lines  of  Colonel 
Jones  and  Major  Ewing.  Captains  Gruer78  and 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR  131 

[John  F.]  Richardson,  from  General  Alexander's  brig 
ade,  with  their  companies,  and  a  few  scattering  gentle 
men  from  General  Dodge's  corps,  were  also  up;  who 
all  joined  General  Henry,  and  fought  bravely. 

Colonel  Fry  obeyed  the  call  of  his  General,  and  was 
soon  there  with  his  regiment,  who  shrank  not  from 
their  duty.      They  all  joined  in  the  work  of  death— 
for  death  it  was.     We  were  by  this  time  fast  getting 
rid  of  those  demons  in  human  shape. 

About  half  an  hour  after  the  battle  commenced, 
Colonel  Taylor  with  the  infantry,  and  General  Dodge 
with  his  squadron,  got  on  the  ground,  and  joined  in  the 
battle  with  us.  They  had  been  thrown  on  the  extreme 
right,  by  following  the  rear  guard  of  the  enemy.77 
Those  men  are  both  brave  officers,  and  would  have 
gloried  in  being  in  front  of  the  battle;  but  it  appears 
that  this  was  intended  by  the  God  of  battles  for  our 
much  beloved  Henry,  who  here  displayed  the  part  of 
a  General  indeed.  He  was  placed  in  the  rear  in  the 
morning,  and  was  first  in  battle.  This  may  appear 
strange  to  the  reader,  but  it  was  nevertheless  the  truth. 

General  Atkinson  stationed  Generals  Posey  and 
Alexander,  up  the  river,  on  the  extreme  right,  in  order 
to  prevent  the  Indians  from  making  their  escape  in 
that  direction;  which  appeared  to  be  one  of  those  hard 
cases,  for  the  men  had  marched  a  great  way,  through 
swamps,  over  mountains,  and  through  the  worst  kind 
of  forests; — had  suffered  much  with  fatigue — and  many 
other  hardships  which  a  person  necessarily  has  to 
undergo  in  a  campaign:  and  that,  too,  they  had  done 
without  a  murmur,  in  order  that  they  might  have  it  in 
their  power  to  assist  in  expelling  from  their  country, 
those  wretched  children  of  the  forest. 

The  battle  lasted  about  three  hours:  when  we  came 
upon  the  enemy,  they  were  fixing  their  bark  canoes  to 
cross  the  river.  Some  of  them  had  crossed;  others 


HISTORY    OF    THE 

had  just  launched  their  canoes;  and  some  had  not  got 
them  made;  but  I  suppose  all  were  busy  in  making  the 
necessary  arrangements  to  cross  and  get  out  of  our  way. 

But  the  Ruler  of  the  Universe,  He  who  takes  ven 
geance  on  the  guilty,  did  not  design  those  guilty  wretches 
to  escape  His  vengeance  for  the  horrid  deeds  they  had 
done,  which  were  of  the  most  appalling  nature.  He 
here  took  just  retribution  for  the  many  innocent  lives 
those  cruel  savages  had  taken  on  our  northern  frontiers. 

It  can  never  be  ascertained  how  many  were  killed  in 
this  battle ;  but  from  the  best  calculation  that  could  be 
made,  I  suppose  we  killed  about  one  hundred  and  fifty; 
and  I  think  it  altogether  probable,  that  as  many  more 
were  drowned  in  attempting  to  cross  the  river.  The  river 
where  they  attempted  to  cross,  was  full  of  islands.  A 
number  of  them  succeeded  in  reaching  one  of  those 
islands,  and  had  taken  shelter  behind  old  logs  and 
willows,  where  they  kept  up  a  constant  fire  upon  us 
during  the  engagement.  Colonel  Taylor78  ordered  an 
officer  and  a  part  of  his  infantry  to  cross  over  to  the 
island,  and  rout  the  enemy  from  this  position ;  but  it 
being  the  nature  of  an  Indian  to  sell  his  life  as  dear  as 
possible,  they  did  so  here.  They  killed  five  of  the 
regulars,  before  they  could  drive  them  from  their  strong 
hold  that  they  had  got  into;  and  then,  it  had  to  be  done 
by  a  charge,  which  those  men  were  not  afraid  to  do.79 

I  am  sorry,  that,  I  cannot  recollect  the  name  of  the 
officer  who  commanded  and  took  this  band  of  regulars 
into  this  island. 

There  were  a  number  of  gentlemen  belonging  to  the 
militia,  who  crossed  also  into  this  island,  and  assisted 
in  driving  the  enemy  from  this  hiding  place.  Mr. 
William  Bradford,  Adjutant  of  Major  Ewing's  spy 
battalion,  and  many  other  brave  and  fearless  men  from 
the  militia,  crossed. 

The  part  of  the  river  they  had  to  wade,  took  a  man 


LATE     INDIAN    WAR  133 

up  to  his  arm-pits ;  but  even  this  appeared  to  be  no 
obstacle  in  their  way.  The  enemy  were  there,  doing 
mischief  by  annoying  us,  and  they  had  to  be  routed  or 
killed.  The  latter  was  most  desirable,  and  was  nearly 
done,  there  being  but  few  who  made  their  escape  from 
the  place. 

During  the  engagement  we  killed  some  of  the  squaws 
through  mistake.  It  was  a  great  misfortune  to  those 
miserable  squaws  and  children,  that  they  did  not  carry 
into  execution  [the  plan]  they  had  formed  on  the  morn 
ing  of  the  battle  —  that  was,  to  come  and  meet  us,  and 
surrender  themselves  prisoners  of  war.  It  was  a  horrid 
sight  to  witness  little  children,  wounded  and  suffering 
the  most  excruciating  pain,  although  they  were  of  the 
savage  enemy,  and  the  common  enemy  of  the  country. 

It  was  enough  to  make  the  heart  of  the  most 
hardened  being  on  earth  to  ache. 

We  took  about  fifty  prisoners,  principally  women 
and  children.  They  during  the  engagement,  had  con 
cealed  themselves  in  the  high  weeds  and  grass,  and 
amongst  old  logs  and  brush,  which  lay  very  thick  in  the 
bottom,  and  some  had  buried  themselves  in  the  mud 
and  sand  in  the  bank  of  the  river,  just  leaving  enough 
of  their  heads  out  to  breathe  the  breath  of  life.  The 
soldiers  drew  them  out,  and  brought  them  to  what  was 
then  called  head  quarters,  the  place  where  the  officers 
were  principally  assembled,  and  where  the  Surgeons  and 
Surgeon's  mates  were  busily  engaged  in  dressing 
and  examining  the  wounded.  We  lost  here  in  killed 
and  wounded  twenty-seven  men.  Three  of  the  wounded 
died  next  day,  among  whom  was  Lieutenant  [Samuel] 
Bowman.  He  had  command  of  the  company,  the  Cap 
tain  being  absent.  The  loss  of  this  officer  was  very  much 
lamented  by  his  men  and  brother  officers.  He  fought 
bravely  until  he  received  the  mortal  wound.  He  be 
longed  to  Colonel  Fry's  regiment.  I  have  been  told 


i34  LATE     INDIAN     WAR 

that  he  had  a  wife  and  one  child  to  lament  his  death  ; 
but  the  child  can  have  it  to  say,  when  he  arrives  to  the 
years  of  maturity,  that  his  father  died  fighting  the  bat 
tles  of  his  country,  and  he  was  proud  that  he  had  a 
father  that  died  in  such  a  cause. 

As  soon  as  the  battle  was  over,  all  the  wounded  were 
collected  to  one  place,  and,  with  those  of  our  enemy, 
were  examined,  and  their  wounds  dressed ;  there  was  no 
difference  here  between  our  men  and  our  enemy.  The 
different  Surgeons  did  their  best  for  both.  They  were 
no  longer  able  to  do  us  any  harm,  but  were  in  our 
power,  and  begging  for  mercy,  and  we  acted  like  a  civil 
ized  people,  although  it  was  with  the  worst  kind  of 
enemies,  and  one  that  had  done  so  much  mischief,  and 
had  taken  away  so  many  of  the  lives  of  our  fellow 
citizens.  After  the  Indians  were  all  collected  together 
that  we  had  taken  prisoners,  they  were  examined 
respecting  many  things  ;  and  among  others  what  it  was 
that  the  Indian  Chief  was  saying  when  he  talked  so  long 

J          O  O 

on  the  mountain  at  the  Wisconsin.  They  stated,  that  he 
was  telling  us  in  the  Winnebago  language,  that  they 
had  their  squaws  and  children  with  them,  and  that 
they  were  starving  for  something  to  eat,  and  were  not 
able  to  fight  us  ;  and  that  if  we  would  let  them  pass 
over  the  Mississippi,  they  would  do  no  more  mischief. 
They  stated  that  he  spoke  this  in  the  Winnebago 
language,  believing  that  the  same  Winnebagoes  that 
were  with  us  in  the  battle,  were  still  there.  But  here 
he  was  mistaken :  as  soon  as  the  battle  was  over,  the 
Indians,  with  our  pilot  Poquet,  all  left  us  ;  so  there 
was  no  one  among  us,  that  understood  the  Winnebago 
language. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Steam  boat  Warrior  has  an  engagement  with  the  enemy,  the  day 
before  we  overtook  them  —  Steam  boat  commanded  by  Lieu 
tenant  Kingsbury  —  Arrival  of  the  steam  boat  Warrior,  soon 
after  our  engagement —  She  returns  and  brings  us  provision  — 
General  Atkinson,  believing  that  the  enemy  were  nearly  all 
destroyed,  did  not  pursue  them  across  the  Mississippi  —  March 
down  to  Prairie  du  Chlen  —  We  find  the  friendly  Indians 
rejoicing  at  the  defeat  of  the  enemy  —  General  Atkinson  has  a 
talk  with  the  Wlnnebagoes  —  We  march  to  Dixon's  and  are 
discharged. 

SOON  after  the  battle  was  over,  the  steam  boat  War 
rior  arrived.  When  she  came  near  to  where  we 
were,  she  commenced  raking  the  Island  with  a  six 
pounder.  We  in  return  fired  a  salute,  thinking  she 
was  apprised  of  our  battle,  and  that  she  was  firing  us  a 
salute ;  but  the  truth  was,  she  had  the  first  fight  with 
the  enemy  herself,80  and  was  then  raking  the  Island 
with  her  six  pounder,  not  knowing  but  the  enemy  were 
still  there.  When  she  came  up,  we  then  learnt  that  on 
the  evening  before,  she  had  been  there  for  the  express 
purpose  of  preventing  the  Indians  from  crossing,  until 
the  main  army  might  get  up  with  them.  Lieutenant 
Kingsbury,  who  commanded,  stated  that  they  hoisted 
a  white  flag,  but  would  not  send  aboard  the  steam  boat. 
He  told  them  if  they  did  not  do  it,  he  would  fire  upon 
them ;  but  they  still  refused,  and  appeared  to  be  mak 
ing  preparation  for  action ;  so,  accordingly,  he  fired  his 
six  pounder, and  likewise  opened  a  fire  of  musquetry  upon 
them,  when  they  commenced  a  heavy  fire  upon  the 
boat.  The  battle  now  became  general,  and  lasted  for 

[135] 


136  HISTORY    OF    THE 

some  time,  as  the  boat  was  anchored.  All  were  at  their 
posts,  and  would  have,  it  is  stated,  continued  at  this 
place  until  the  main  army  got  up,  if  they  had  not  been 
out  of  wood.  So  she  had  to  drop  down,  in  order  to 
lay  in  wood ;  but  it  is  stated,  she  killed  five  in  this 
action  and,  I  suppose,  wounded  a  number;  but  the 
number  I  do  not  think  has  been  ascertained ;  but  Lieu 
tenant  Kingsbury  and  all  the  other  officers  deserve 
great  credit  for  the  bravery  and  industry  they  made  use 
of,  in  trying  to  prevent  the  Indians  from  crossing  until 
the  army  could  come  up  with  them ;  they  dropped  down 
that  night  as  low  as  Prairie  du  Chien,  and  took  in  wood, 
and  returned  to  the  scene  of  action  the  next  day,  by 
twelve  o'clock,  a  distance  of  forty  miles  or  upwards. 
But  when  they  got  back  to  their  old  play  place,  the 
boys  that  they  had  been  sporting  with  the  day  before, 
were  no  more.  We  had  killed  and  wounded  a  great 
many  of  these  wretched  wanderers,  that  have  no  home 
in  the  world,  but  are  like  the  wild  beasts  more  than 
man  —  wandering  from  forest  to  forest,  and  not  making 
any  improvement  in  the  natural  mind.  All  their  study 
is,  how  to  proceed  in  the  chase,  or  take  scalps  in  time 
of  war.  But  although  they  are  a  miserable  race  of  peo 
ple,  and  live  a  wretched  life,  they  are  much  frightened 
when  they  see  death  stare  them  in  the  face ;  which  was 
the  case  at  this  time.  When  we  came  upon  the  squaws 
and  children,  they  raised  a  scream  and  cry  loud  enough 
to  affect  the  stoutest  man  upon  earth.  If  they  had  shown 
themselves,  they  would  have  come  orT  much  better, 
but  fear  prevented  them ;  and  in  their  retreat,  trying 
to  hide  from  us,  many  of  them  were  killed  ;  but  con 
trary  to  the  wish  of  every  man,  as  neither  officer  nor 
private  intended  to  have  spilt  the  blood  of  those  squaws 
and  children.  But  such  was  their  fate  ;  some  of  them 
were  killed,  but  not  intentionally  by  any  man ;  as  all 
were  men  of  too  much  sense  of  honor  and  feeling  to 


LATE     INDIAN    WAR  137 

have  killed  any  but  those  who  were  able  to  harm  us. 
We  all  well  knew  the  squaws  and  children  could  do  us 
no  harm ;  and  could  not  help  what  the  old  Black  Hawk 
and  the  other  chiefs  did.  The  prisoners  we  took 
seemed  to  lament  their  ever  having  raised  arms  against 
the  United  States,  and  appeared  to  blam  e  the  Black  H  awk 
and  the  Prophet,  for  the  miserable  condition  that  their 
tribe  was  then  in  ;  but  at  the  same  time,  appeared  to  re 
joice  that  they  were  prisoners  of  war,  which  plainly 
showed  that  they  had  some  faith  in  our  humanity,  and 
that  they  would  exchange  the  life  they  then  were  living,  for 
any  other.  They  appeared  to  manifest  every  token  of 
honesty  in  their  examination.  They  stated  that  Black 
Hawk  had  stolen  off  up  the  river,  at  the  commence 
ment  of  the  battle,  with  some  few  of  his  warriors,  and 
a  few  squaws  and  children.  I  think  the  number  of 
warriors  was  ten,  and  thirty-five  women  and  children, 
or,  in  other  words,  four  lodges,  which  is  the  Indian 
phrase  as  they  do  not  know  how  to  count  by  numbers. 
They  were  examined  respecting  the  first  battle  we  had 
with  them  on  the  Wisconsin,  and  they  stated  that  we 
killed  sixty-eight  on  the  field  of  action ;  and  that  twenty- 
five  had  died  since  with  their  wounds ;  making  in  all 
ninety-three  that  we  are  certain  we  killed  in  that  battle, 
besides  a  number  more,  that  there  is  no  doubt  still  lin 
gered  and  died  with  their  wounds.  Putting  together 
what  were  killed  in  the  two  battles,  and  all  the  little 
skirmishes,  we  must  have  destroyed  upwards  of  four 
hundred  of  these  unhappy  and  miserable  beings,  which 
was  occasioned,  no  doubt,  by  the  superstitious  ideas 
which  were  instilled  into  their  minds  by  the  Prophet.81 
Although  I  have  already  stated  that  those  unhappy 
wanderers  make  no  improvement  in  the  natural  mind, 
they  still,  by  instinct,  believe  in  an  over-ruling  Provi 
dence,  and  are  the  most  credulous  people  upon  earth. 
They  pay  much  attention  to  their  dreams,  and  if  one 


138  HISTORY     OF     THE 

of  their  nation  dreams  much,  he  soon  takes  the  name 
of  prophet,  as  they  believe  it  to  be  a  visitation  of  the 
Great  Spirit.  One  morning  I  chanced  to  rise  very 
early;  and  taking  a  walk  through  the  encampment, 
accidently  wandered  to  where  thelndians  were  encamped. 
It  was  just  at  the  dawn  of  day,  and  they  were  just 
beginning  their  morning  worship  of  the  Great  Spirit.  I 
had  often  heard  that  these  uninformed  children  of  the 
forest,  believed  that  there  was  a  God,  and  tried  to  wor 
ship  him,  which  made  me  call  a  halt  to  see  if  what  I  had 
heard  respecting  this  unhappy  people  was  true.  They 
commenced  by  three  of  them  standing  up  with  their 
faces  to  the  east ;  one  of  them  commenced  a  kind  of 
talk,  as  though  he  was  talking  to  some  person  at  a  dis 
tance,  at  the  same  time  shaking  a  gourd,  which,  from 
the  rattling,  I  should  have  taken  to  be  full  of  pebbles 
or  beans.  The  other  two  stood  very  still,  looking 
towards  the  east ;  the  others  were  all  sitting  round  in 
the  most  perfect  silence,  when  the  old  priest,  prophet, 
or  whatever  they  called  him,  commenced  a  kind  of 
song,  which,  I  believe,  is  the  common  one  sung  by  the 
Indians  on  all  occasions.  It  was,  as  near  as  I  could 
make  out,  in  the  following  words.  He-aw-aw-he-aw- 
how-he-aw-hum  —  with  a  great  many  elevations  and 
falls  in  their  tone,  and  beating  time  with  the  gourd  of 
pebbles.  When  this  song  was  sung  they  commenced 
a  kind  of  prayer,  which  I  thought  the  most  solemn 
thing  I  had  witnessed.  It  was  a  long,  monotonous 
note,  occasionally  dropping  by  a  number  of  tones  at 
once,  to  a  low  and  unearthly  murmur.  When  he  had 
done  he  handed  the  gourd  of  pebbles  to  one  of  the  two 
that  stood  by  him,  who  went,  as  near  as  I  could  ascer 
tain,  through  the  same  ceremony,  still  shaking  the 
gourd.  When  he  had  done,  he  handed  it  to  the  third, 
who  went  through  the  same  motions,  and  making 
use  of  the  same  words  that  the  first  two  had  done, 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR  139 

which  I  suppose  was  a  supplication  or  prayer  to  the 
Great  Spirit  to  give  them  plenty  to  eat,  and  strength 
to  conquer  their  enemies.  It  is  stated,  by  those  who 
are  acquainted  with  this  race  of  people,  that  they  are 
very  much  afraid  of  offending  the  Great  Spirit.  If 
they  have  bad  luck  in  hunting,  they  think  it  is  caused 
by  their  having  offended  the  Great  Spirit,  and  they 
make  an  atonement,  by  offering  up  or  making  a  sacri 
fice  of  something  that  they  set  much  store  by,  such  as 
burning  their  tobacco,82  or  something  else  that  they 
doat  upon  very  much,  but  there  is  nothing  in  this 
world  that  they  think  more  of  than  tobacco,  as  smok 
ing  they  think  is  almost  as  indispensably  necessary  as 
eating.  I  must  now  return  to  the  battle  ground  with 
my  subject.  After  the  battle  was  all  over,  and  the 
wounded  all  attended  to,  the  prisoners  and  the  wounded 
of  both  parties,  were  put  on  board  of  the  steamboat 
Warrior,  and  taken  down  to  Prairie  du  Chien,  where 
the  wounded  were  taken  to  the  hospital,  and  the 
prisoners  put  in  confinement.  The  boat  returned  to 
us  the  next  morning.  We  were  still  at  the  battle 
ground,  or  near  it ;  whilst  we  lay  there,  our  men  were 
still  picking  up  scattering  Indians.  They  brought  in 
an  old  chief  who  was  wounded.  He  was  very  poor, 
was  between  six  and  seven  feet  high ;  what  hair  was  on 
his  head  was  gray,  but  that  was  not  much,  as  the  most 
of  it  was  shaved  off,  just  leaving  enough  for  hand  hold 
to  scalp  him  by;  as  these  superstitious  beings  think  it 
would  be  a  mark  of  cowardice  to  cut  off  this  tuft  of 
hair,  which  they  call  their  scalp.  These  superstitious 
beings  believe  that  if  they  are  maimed  or  disfigured 
in  this  world,  they  will  appear  in  the  next  in  the  same 
form,  which  is  the  reason  they  scarcely  ever  bury  their 
dead.  If  he  should  chance  to  lose  his  scalp,  they  think 
that  it  would  show  in  the  next  world  that  he  had  been 
conquered  and  scalped  by  an  enemy,  which  would  go 
to  show  that  he  was  not  a  great  warrior.83 


140  HISTORY    OF    THE 

Gen.  Atkinson  now  thought  that  he  had  taken  just 
retribution  for  the  blood  these  Indians  had  spilt  on 
our  frontiers,  and  saw  that  it  would  be  useless  to  cross 
the  river  in  pursuit  of  those  wretched  beings,  for  they 
were  now  scattered  and  hid  in  the  swamps,  so  that  it 
was  an  impossible  thing  to  take  many  of  them.  He 
finally  came  to  the  conclusion,  to  drop  down  to  Prairie 
du  Chien,  and  have  a  talk  with  the  Winnebagoes ;  for 
it  was  now  manifest  that  they  had  been  allies  to  the 
Sacs  and  Foxes ;  for  the  prisoners  that  we  took  in  this 
action,  put  all  doubts  to  rest  on  this  score.  We  had 
a  long  time  believed  that  they  were  acting  treacher 
ously,  and  General  Atkinson  now  thought  that  it  was 
time  to  bring  them  to  an  account  for  their  conduct. 
He,  accordingly,  on  the  second  day  after  the  battle, 
which  was  the  fourth  of  August,  took  up  the  line  of 
march  for  Prairie  du  Chien ;  but  before  General 
Atkinson  left  the  battle  ground,  he  provisioned  a 
number  of  Sioux  84  and  some  Winnebagoes,  and  sent 
them  in  search  of  Black  Hawk  to  see  if  they  could 
not  capture  him,  and  bring  him  in  as  a  prisoner,  which 
the  Sioux  appeared  to  be  anxious  to  do,  as  the  Sacs 
and  they  had  been  at  variance  a  long  time ;  and  they 
saw  that  there  was  no  chance  of  taking  revenge  for  the 
many  injuries  the  Sacs  had  done  them.  General 
Atkinson  and  the  infantry  went  down  on  the  steam 
boat  Warrior,  and  reached  Prairie  du  Chien  on  the 
same  day  we  started.  The  mounted  men,  baggage 
and  all  went  down  by  land,  and  reached  Prairie  du 
Chien  the  next  day,  which  was  the  fifth  of  August. 
On  entering  the  settlement  of  Prairie  du  Chien,  we 
witnessed  a  very  novel  scene.  The  Menominie 
Indians  were  rejoicing  at  the  defeat  of  the  Sacs  and 
Foxes,  and  were  expressing  it  by  music  and  dancing. 
They  had  obtained  several  scalps,  amongst  which  were 
some  of  the  squaws,  which  they  always  give  to  their 


LATE    INDIAN    WAR  141 

squaws.  They  had  given  their  squaws  several  of  them, 
and  were  making  music  for  them  to  dance  around 
them.  It  was,  as  near  as  I  could  observe,  in  the  fol 
lowing  way :  The  men  all  stood  in  a  row  with  gourds 
in  their  hands,  shaking  them  in  very  regular  order, 
while  one  old  fellow  was  beating  on  the  head  of  a  kind 
of  drum,  which  is  generally  a  deer  skin  stretched  over 
a  hollow  gum,  sawed  to  the  length  of  our  drums. 
They  never  use  but  one  stick,  and  that  very  slow. 
The  squaws  were  all  paraded  in  front  of  the  men, 
facing  them,  and  the  squaws  who  were  related  to  those 
whom  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  killed  in  1831,  held  the 
scalps  of  the  Sacs  and  Fox  squaws  on  long  poles,  and 
stood  in  the  center  between  the  two  lines,  shaking 
them,  while  the  other  squaws  and  the  men  danced 
around  them,  apparently  trying  to  keep  time  with  the 
rattling  of  the  gourds,  and  sound  of  the  drum,  and  all 
at  the  same  time  singing  the  song  usually  sung  by  all 
nations  of  Indians,  consisting  only  of  a  few  simple 
words  that  I  have  already  repeated;  but  they  rise  and 
fall  very  singular,  and  always  beat  time  to  the  song 
with  their  feet;  when  the  song  gets  to  the  highest 
pitch,  they  jump  up  very  high,  and  sometimes  stamp 
with  their  feet.  They  generally  bend  forward  toward 
each  other,  sometimes  with  their  noses  so  close  as  to 
touch.  The  squaws  appeared  to  exert  all  the  power 
they  were  master  of,  in  shaking  the  scalps,  and  using 
their  feet  at  the  same  time,  with  the  drummer  and  the 
gourd-shakers;  and,  from  their  countenances,  they 
appeared  to  be  perfectly  happy. — General  Atkinson, 
on  the  second  day  after  we  arrived  at  Prairie  du  Chien, 
had  the  principal  Chiefs  of  the  Winnebagoes,  and  a 
few  of  the  Menominies,  at  Gen.  Street's,  the  Indian 
Agent  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  and  had  a  talk  with  them. 
He  told  them  that  they  had  given  him  reason  to  think 
they  were  not  true  to  him,  as  he  had  caught  them  in 


142  HISTORY     OF     THE 

many  lies,  which  they  tried  to  deny.  He  then  ac 
cused  Wisshick  of  aiding  the  Sacs,  and  inquired  of 
him  where  his  two  sons  were.  The  answer  of  Wisshick 
was,  that  he  did  not  know  where  they  were.  General 
Atkinson  then  asked  him  if  they  were  not  with  Black 
Hawk.  His  answer  was,  that  one  had  been  with  him, 
but  he  did  not  know  where  he  was  then.  General 
Atkinson  then  ordered  him  to  be  put  in  prison  until 
his  sons  could  be  produced.  He  then  had  a  talk  with 
the  Menominies,  who  had  never  been  at  war  with  the 
United  States.  They  professed  all  the  friendship  in 
the  world  for  our  Government ;  and  stated  that  they 
had  never  done  us  any  harm,  and  did  not  tell  lies,  and 
that  if  they  wanted  to  do  any  harm  now,  they  would 
not  know  how.  This  was  a  little  Menominie  Chief 
whose  name  I  do  not  recollect.  Gen.  Atkinson  talked 
very  friendly  to  him,  and  advised  him  to  pursue  the 
same  friendly  course  towards  the  United  States,  and 
they  would  be  well  treated.  When  this  Chief  was 
done,  he  made  a  request  of  Gen.  Atkinson,  whom  he 
termed  father,  to  give  each  of  his  young  men  a  pair 
of  shoes,  and  stated  that  their  feet  were  worn  out  with 
walking.  He  then  went  on  to  explain,  that  when  he 
said  shoes,  he  meant  horses,  and  stated  that  his  young 
men  had  been  promised  a  horse  apiece,  and  had  not 
got  them.  General  Atkinson  promised  that  they 
should  have  them,  or  that  he  would  see  to  it,  I  do  not 
recollect  which.  On  the  next  day  about  eleven  o'clock, 
Wisshick's  sons  were  brought  in,  both  badly  wounded, 
which  went  to  confirm  that  he  and  his  sons  were  allies 
to  the  Sacs  and  Foxes.  They  had  been  wounded  in 
the  battle  on  the  Mississippi.  They  were  put  in  con 
finement  July  yth. 

General  Scott 85  and  suite  arrived  this  morning  in 
the  steam  boat  Warrior,  and  assumed  the  command  of 
the  whole  army,  to  which  station  he  had  been  appointed 


LATE    INDIAN    WAR  143 

some  time  previous,  but  was  unable  to  come  on  sooner 
in  consequence  of  the  cholera  breaking  out  in  his 
army.  He  came  past  several  posts,  and  discharged 
the  men  wherever  he  found  them. 

General  Scott  concluded  to  discharge  the  army  (or 
the  Mounted  Volunteers)  that  were  then  in  the  field, 
and  demanded  Black  Hawk  of  Keokuck;86  as  both  men 
and  horses  were  nearly  worn  out  with  fatigue.  Accord 
ingly,  on  the  8th  day  of  August,  we  left  the  tented 
fields,  and  took  up  our  line  of  march  to  Dixon's  on 
Rock  river,  the  place  appointed  for  us  to  be  discharged 
at  (or  mustered  out  of  the  service  of  the  United  States.) 
All  now  were  eager  to  press  forward.  We  had  turned 
our  faces  toward  our  respective  homes;  and  notwith 
standing  that  we  as  well  as  our  horses,  were  nearly 
worn  out  with  the  fatiguing  marches  through  the 
swamps,  and  over  the  mountains,  yet  all  were  cheerful, 
and  every  heart  seemed  to  leap  for  joy  at  the  thought 
of  being  free  from  the  toils  and  hardships  of  a  soldier, 
to  return  again  to  the  embraces  of  a  wife  and  children, 
or  a  father  and  mother,  brothers  and  sisters,  and  to 
mingle  once  more,  in  the  walks  and  society  of  the  fair 
sex  — which  appears  to  be  a  sovereign  balm  to  man  in 
all  his  afflictions. 

On  this  day  just  at  night,  we  met  about  three 
hundred  Menominie  Indians,  in  company  of  an 
American  Officer  from  Green  Bay,87  coming  to  join  in 
pursuit  of  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians.  We  happened  to 
meet  them  in  a  prairie.  The  officer  advanced  and  met 
us,  or  we  certainly  would  have  fired  upon  them. 
When  we  came  up  to  them,  they  appeared  almost  to 
lament,  that  they  had  not  got  in  before  we  had  the  last 
battle,  in  order  that  they  could  have  had  an  oppor 
tunity  of  assisting  us  in  the  work  of  death  to  our 
common  enemy.  For  they  are,  as  I  have  already 
stated,  great  enemies  to  the  Menominie  Indians. 


i44  HISTORY    OF    THE 

When  they  left  us,  they  seemed  to  press  forward  with 
more  vigour,  as  it  was  their  object  to  pursue  the 
balance  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  who  had  made  their 
escape. 

On  the  next  day,  we  began  to  reach  the  settlements 
in  the  mining  country.  This  was  again  a  solemn  scene. 
The  farms  had  mostly  been  sown  in  grain  of  some 
kind  or  other.  Those  that  were  in  small  grain,  were 
full  ripe  for  the  sickle;  but  behold!  the  husbandman 
was  not  there,  to  enjoy  the  benefits  of  his  former 
labor  —  by  thrusting  in  the  scythe  and  sickle,  and 
gathering  in  his  grain,  which  was  fast  going  to  destruc 
tion.  All  appeared  to  be  solitary,  and  truly  presented 
a  state  of  mourning.  But  as  we  advanced  a  little 
further  into  the  more  thickly  settled  parts,  we  would 
occasionally  see  the  smoke  just  beginning  to  make  its 
appearance  from  the  tops  of  the  chimneys;  as  some  of 
the  inhabitants  thought  that  it  would  be  as  well  to  risk 
dying  by  the  tomahawk  and  scalping  knife,  as  to  lose 
their  grain,  and  die  by  famine;  and  others  had  received 
information  that  we  had  slain  in  battle  their  trouble 
some  enemy,  who  had  driven  them  from  their  homes, 
and  had  slain  many  of  their  neighbors.  Whenever 
we  approached  a  house,  there  is  no  telling  the  joy  it 
would  give  to  the  desolate  man  who  had  lately  emerged 
from  some  fort,  and  had  left  his  wife  and  children  still 
in  it,  while  he  ventured  to  his  home,  to  save  something 
for  them  to  subsist  upon. 

I  must  confess,  that  it  filled  my  heart  with  gratitude 
and  joy,  to  think  that  I  had  been  instrumental,  with 
many  others,  in  delivering  my  country  of  those  merci 
less  savages,  and  restoring  those  people  again  to  their 
peaceful  homes  and  firesides,  there  to  enjoy  in  safety 
the  sweets  of  a  retired  life;  for  a  fort  is  to  a  husband 
man,  what  a  jail  is  to  a  prisoner.  The  inhabitants  of 
this  district  of  [the]  country  had  been  shut  up  in  forts 


LATE    INDIAN    WAR  145 

for  the  last  three  months,  through  fear  of  becoming  a 
prey  to  Indian  barbarity. 

Nothing  very  interesting  occurred  on  our  march  to 
Dixon's.  Lieutenant  Anderson,88  of  the  United  States 
army,  met  us  at  this  point,  and  by  the  i  yth  of  August, 
mustered  us  all  out  of  the  service  of  the  United  States. 
We  sheathed  our  swords,  and  buried  our  tomahawks, 
and  each  man  again  became  his  own  commander,  and 
shaped  his  own  course  towards  his  home,  to  enjoy  the 
social  society  of  his  relatives  and  friends,  in  the  pursuit 
of  their  different  avocations  in  life. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Report  of  Gen.  Atkinson  to  Major  General  Ala  comb  at  Washing 
ton — Indian  talk  with  General  Street,  when  they  delivered 
Black  Hawk  and  the  Prophet — Description  of  Black  Hawk 
and  the  Prophet — General  remarks  of  the  Author. 

WHEN  General  Atkinson  dropped  down  to  Prairie 
du  Chien,  after  the  battle  on  the  Mississippi,  he 
made  the  following  report  to   Major  General 
Macomb,  Commander  in  Chief  at  Washington  City. 

"Head  Quarters,  ist  A.  Corps,  N.  Western) 

Army,  Prairie  du  Chien,  Aug.  5,  1832.) 
"SIR — I  have  the  honor  to  report  to  you,  that  I  crossed 
the  Wisconsin  on  the  2yth  and  28th  ult.,  with  a  select 
body  of  troops,  consisting  of  the  regulars  under  Col.  Taylor, 
four  hundred  in  number,  part  of  Henry's,  Posey's  and  Alex 
ander's  brigades,  and  Dodge's  battalion  of  mounted  volunteers  ; 
amounting  in  all  to  thirteen  hundred  men;  and  immedi 
ately  fell  upon  the  trail  of  the  enemy,  and  pursued  it  by 
forced  marches  through  a  mountainous  and  difficult  country, 
till  the  morning  of  the  second  instant,  when  we  came  up 
with  his  main  body,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  nearly 
opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Iowa;  which  we  attacked,  defeated, 
and  dispersed,  with  a  loss  on  his  part  of  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  men  killed,  and  thirty-nine  women  and  children  prison 
ers.  The  precise  number  could  not  be  ascertained,  as  the 
greater  portion  was  slain  after  being  forced  into  the  river. 
Our  loss  in  killed  and  wounded,  which  is  stated  below,  is 
very  small  in  comparison  with  the  loss  of  the  enemy  ;  which 
may  be  attributed  to  the  enemy's  being  forced  from  his  posi 
tions  by  a  rapid  charge  at  the  commencement,  and  through 
the  engagement.  The  remnant  of  the  enemy,  cut  up  and 
disheartened,  crossed  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  has 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR  147 

fled  into  the  interior,  with  a  view  it  is  supposed  of  joining 
Keokuck  and  Wapilo's 89   bands  of  Sacs  and  Foxes. 

"  The  horses  of  the  volunteer  troops  being  exhausted  by 
long  marches,  and  the  regular  troops  without  shoes,  it  was 
not  thought  advisable  to  continue  the  pursuit.  Indeed  a  stop 
to  the  further  effusion  of  blood  seemed  to  be  called  for,  until 
it  might  be  ascertained  if  the  enemy  would  not  surrender. 

"It  is  ascertained  from  our  prisoners,  that  the  enemy  lost  in 
the  battle  of  Ouisconsin,  sixty-eight  killed,  and  a  very  large 
number  wounded.  His  whole  loss  does  not  fall  short  of  three 
hundred.  After  the  battle  of  the  Ouisconsin,  the  enemy's 
women  and  children,  and  some  who  were  dismounted, 
attempted  to  make  their  escape  by  descending  that  river,  but 
judicious  measures  being  taken  here  by  Captain  Loomis  and 
Gen.  Street,  and  Indian  Agent,  thirty-two  women  and 
children,  and  four  men,  have  been  captured,  and  some  fifteen 
killed  by  the  detachment  under  Lieut.  Ritner. 

"The  day  after  the  battle  on  this  river,  I  fell  down  with  the 
regular  troops  to  this  place  by  water,  and  the  mounted  men 
will  join  us  to  day.  It  is  now  my  purpose  to  direct  Keokuck 
to  demand  a  surrender  of  the  remaining  principal  men  of  the 
hostile  party ;  which,  from  the  large  number  of  women  and 
children  we  hold  as  prisoners,  I  have  every  reason  to  believe 
will  be  complied  with.  Should  it  not,  they  should  be  pursued 
and  subdued ;  a  step  Major  General  Scott  will  no  doubt  take 
on  his  arrival. 

"  I  cannot  speak  too  highly  of  the  conduct  of  the  regular 
and  volunteer  forces  engaged  in  the  last  battle,  and  the 
fatiguing  march  that  preceded  it. 

"  As  soon  as  the  reports  of  the  officers  of  brigades  and 
corps  are  handed  in,  they  shall  be  submitted  with  further 
remarks. 

"I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  great  respect, 

"  Your  obdt.  servant, 

"H.  ATKINSON,  Bt.  Bgdr.  Gen.  U.  S.  A. 
"  Major  Gen.  Macomb,  Commander  in  Chief,  ) 
"  Washington  City."  J 

The  reader  will  recollect  that  I  have,  in  a  preceding 
chapter,  given  the  substance  of  a  talk  between  Gen. 


148  HISTORY    OF    THE 

Atkinson  and  Gen.  Street,  agent  for  the  Winnebagoes, 
and  several  Winnebago  Chiefs,  on  our  arrival  at 
Prairie  du  Chien,  after  the  battle  on  the  Mississippi 
near  the  Bad- Axe.  In  this  talk,  Gen.  Street  told  the 
principal  chiefs  that  if  they  would  bring  in  the  Black 
Hawk  and  the  Prophet,  it  would  be  well  for  them, 
and  that  the  government  of  the  United  States  would 
hold  them  in  future  as  friends,  and  treat  them  kindly, 
and  not  any  more  consider  them  friends  to  the  Sacs 
and  Foxes. 

On  this  declaration  the  old  one-eyed  chief,  called 
the  Decorri,  and  Cheater,90  took  some  of  their  men 
with  them  and  went  in  pursuit  of  these  Sac  chiefs,  in 
order  if  possible  to  take  them  prisoners,  and  bring 
them  and  deliver  them  up  to  the  Indian  agent  at 
Prairie  du  Chien. 

Accordingly,  on  the  2yth  of  August,  these  two 
Winnebago  chiefs  returned,  bringing  with  them  the 
Black  Hawk  and  the  Prophet,  the  principal  movers 
and  instigators  of  the  war.  The  interview  with  them 
on  their  arrival  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  I  have  been  told, 
was  a  very  interesting  scene.  I  will  give  the  reader  the 
substance  of  their  talk  with  General  Street  and  Col. 
Taylor,  which  will  go  to  show  how  vigilant,  and  with 
what  perseverance,  these  Winnebago  chiefs  acted  to 
take  these  prisoners.  They  were  upwards  of  twenty  days 
gone  after  they  left  Prairie  du  Chien  before  they 
returned  with  them. 

When  they  arrived,  Black  Hawk  desired  to  speak  to 
General  Street.  The  amount  of  what  he  said  was,  that 
he  was  not  the  originator  of  the  war;  that  he  was  going 
where  he  would  meet  Keokuck,  and  then  he  would  tell 
the  truth ;  that  he  would  then  tell  all  about  this  war, 
which  had  caused  so  much  trouble ; 91  that  there  were 
chiefs  and  braves  of  his  nation,  who  were  the  cause  of 
the  continuance  of  the  war;  that  he  did  not  want  to 


LATE    INDIAN    WAR  149 

hold  any  council  with  him ;  that  when  he  got  where 
Keokuck  was,  he  would  tell  the  whole  of  the  origin  of 
the  difficulties,  and  of  those  who  continued  it;  that  he 
wanted  to  surrender  long  ago,  but  others  refused :  that 
he  wanted  to  surrender  to  the  steamboat  Warrior,  and 
tried  to  do  so  until  the  second  fire;  that  he  then  ran 
and  went  up  the  river,  and  never  returned  to  the  battle 
ground ;  that  his  determination  then  was  to  escape  if 
he  could ;  that  he  did  not  intend  to  surrender  after  that, 
but  that,  when  the  Winnebagoes  came  upon  him,  he 
gave  up  —  and  that  he  would  tell  all  about  the  disturb 
ance  when  he  got  to  Rock  Island. 

The  one  eyed  Decorri  and  the  Cheater  both  in  like 
manner  addressed  General  Street,  whom  they  term  their 
father;  which  almost  all  the  Indians  do  their  agents. 

The  one  eyed  Decorri  rose  first,  and  addressed  him 
in  the  following  manner: 

"My  father,  I  now  stand  before  you.  When  we  parted,  I 
told  you  we  would  return  soon  ;  but  I  could  not  come  any 
sooner.  We  had  to  go  a  great  distance,  (to  the  Dale  on  the 
Wisconsin  river,  above  the  Portage ;)  you  see  we  have  done 
what  you  sent  us  to  do.  These  are  the  two  you  told  us  to 
get,  (pointing  to  Black  Hawk  and  the  Prophet.)  We  always 
do  what  you  tell  us  to  do,  because  we  know  it  is  for  our  good. 
My  father,  you  told  us  to  get  these  men,  and  it  would  be  the 
cause  of  much  good  to  the  Winnebagoes.  We  have  brought 
them,  but  it  has  been  very  hard  for  us  to  do  it ;  that  one, 
Macatamish  Kakacky,  was  a  great  way  off.  You  told  us  to 
bring  them  alive ;  we  have  done  so.  If  you  had  told  us  to 
bring  their  heads  alone,  we  would  have  done  so  ;  and  it  would 
have  been  less  difficult  for  us  to  do,  than  what  we  have  done. 
My  father,  we  deliver  these  men  into  your  hands  ;  we  would 
not  deliver  them  even  to  our  brother,  the  chief  of  the  warriors, 
but  to  you,  because  we  know  you,  and  believe  you  are  our 
friend.  We  want  you  to  keep  them  safe.  If  they  are  to  be 
hurt,  we  do  not  wish  to  see  it,  wait  until  we  are  gone  before  it 
is  done.  My  father,  many  little  birds  have  been  flying  about 


150  HISTORY     OF     THE 

our  ears  of  late,  and  we  thought  they  whispered  to  us,  that 
there  was  evil  intended  for  us  ;  but  now  we  hope  the  evil  birds 
will  let  our  ears  alone. 

"My  father,  we  know  you  are  our  friends,  because  you  take 
our  part ;  this  is  the  reason  we  do  what  you  tell  us  to  do. 

"My  father, you  say  you  love  your  red  children;  we  think 
we  love  you  as  much  or  more  than  you  love  us. 

"My  father,  we  have  been  promised  a  great  deal  if  we  would 
take  these  men,  that  it  would  do  much  good  for  our  people,  we 
now  hope  to  see  what  will  be  done  for  us. 

"My  father,  we  have  come  in  haste,  and  are  tired  and  hungry, 
we  now  put  these  men  in  your  hands ;  we  have  done  all*you 
told  us  to  do/' 

General  Street  then  said : 

"My  children, you  have  done  well ;  I  told  you  to  bring  these 
men  to  me,  and  you  have  done  so.  I  am  pleased  at  what  you 
have  done.  It  will  tend  to  your  good,  and  for  this  reason  I 
am  well  pleased.  I  assured  the  great  chief  of  the  warriors  that 
if  these  men  were  in  your  country,  you  would  find  them,  and 
bring  them  to  me;  that  I  believed  you  would  do  what  I  directed 
you  to  do.  Now  I  can  say  much  for  your  good.  I  will  go 
down  to  Rock  Island  with  the  prisoners,  and  I  wish  you  who 
have  brought  these  men  especially  to  go  with  me,  and  such 
other  chiefs  and  warriors  as  you  may  select.  My  children, 
the  great  chief  of  the  warriors,  when  he  left  this  place,  directed 
me  to  deliver  these  and  all  other  prisoners  to  the  chief  of  the 
warriors,  Col.  Taylor,  who  is  by  my  side. 

"Some  of  the  Winnebagoes  on  the  south  side  of  the  Wis 
consin  river  have  befriended  the  Sacs,  and  some  of  the  Indians 
of  my  agency  have  given  them  aid  ;  this  was  wrong,  and  dis 
pleased  the  great  chief  of  the  warriors  and  your  great  father 
the  President,  and  was  calculated  to  do  you  much  harm.  My 
children,  your  great  father  the  President,  at  Washington,  has 
sent  a  great  war  chief  from  the  far  east,  General  Scott,  with  a 
fresh  army  of  soldiers,  who  is  now  at  Rock  Island. 

"Your  great  father  has  sent  him  and  the  governor  of  Illinois, 
to  hold  a  council  with  the  Indians  at  Rock  Island  ;  he  has  sent 
a  speech  to  you ;  and  wishes  the  chiefs  and  warriors  of  the 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR          151 

Winnebagoes,  to  meet  him  in  council,  on  the  loth  of  Sep 
tember  next ;  I  wish  you  to  be  ready  to  go  along  with  me  to 
Rock  Island. 

"  My  children,  I  am  well  pleased  that  you  have  taken  Black 
Hawk  and  the  Prophet,  and  so  many  others;  because  it  will 
enable  me  to  say  much  for  you  to  the  great  chief  of  the  war 
riors,  and  your  great  father  the  President.  I  shall  now  deliver 
these  two  men,  Black  Hawk  and  the  Prophet,  to  the  chief  of 
the  warriors  here,  Col.  Taylor,  who  will  take  good  care  of 
them  until  we  start  to  Rock  Island." 

Col.  Taylor  then  said : 

u  The  great  chief  of  the  warriors  told  me  to  take  the  pris 
oners,  when  you  should  bring  them,  and  send  them  to  Rock 
Island  to  him ;  I  will  take  them,  and  keep  them  safe,  but  use 
them  well,  and  will  send  them  by  you  and  Gen.  Street  when 
you  go  down  to  the  council,  which  will  be  in  a  few  days. 
Your  friend  Gen.  Street  advised  you  to  get  ready  and  go  down 
soon,  and  so  do  [I]  .  I  tell  you  again,  I  will  take  the  prisoners 
and  keep  them  safe,  but  will  do  them  no  harm.  I  will  deliver 
them  to  the  great  chief  of  the  warriors,  and  he  will  do  with 
them  and  use  them  in  such  manner  as  he  may  be  ordered  by 
your  great  father  the  President." 

Cheater,  a  Winnebago,  said  to  General  Street, 

"  My  father,  I  am  young,  and  don't  know  how  to  make 
speeches.  This  is  the  second  time  I  ever  spoke  to  you  before 
the  people.  My  father,  I  am  no  Chief.  I  am  no  orator,  but 
I  have  been  allowed  to  speak  to  you.  My  father,  if  I  should 
not  speak  as  well  as  others,  still  you  must  listen  to  me. 

"My  father,  when  you  made  the  speech  to  the  Chiefs, 
Waugh-kon-decorri,  Carimanee,  the  one-eyed  Decorri,  and 
others,  the  other  day,  I  was  there.  I  heard  you.  I  thought 
what  you  said  to  them,  you  also  said  to  me.  You  said,  if 
these  two  (pointing  to  Black  Hawk  and  the  Prophet,)  were 
taken  by  us,  and  brought  to  you,  there  would  never  any  more 
a  black  cloud  hang  over  your  Winnebagoes.  My  father, 
your  words  entered  into  my  ears,  into  my  brains,  and  into  my 
heart.  I  left  here  that  very  night,  and  you  know  you  have 


152  HISTORY    OF    THE 

not  seen  me  since,  until  now.  My  father,  I  have  been  a 
great  way.  I  had  much  trouble;  but  when  I  remembered 
what  you  said,  I  know  you  was  right.  This  made  me  keep 
on,  and  do  what  you  told  me  to  do.  Near  the  Dale  on  the 
Wisconsin  river,  I  took  Black  Hawk.  No  one  did  it  but  me. 
I  say  this  in  the  ears  of  all  present,  and  they  know  it ;  and  I 
now  appeal  to  the  Great  Spirit,  our  Grand  Mother,  for  the 
truth  of  what  I  say.  My  father,  I  am  no  Chief,  but  what  I 
have  done  is  for  the  benefit  of  my  own  nation,  and,  I  hope, 
for  the  good  that  has  been  promised  us.  My  father,  that  one, 
Waboki-shick,  is  my  relation.  If  he  is  to  be  hurt,  I  do  not 
wish  to  see  it. 

"  My  father,  soldiers  sometimes  stick  the  ends  of  their  guns 
(bayonets)  into  the  backs  of  Indian  prisoners,  when  they  are 
going  about  in  the  hands  of  the  guard.  I  hope  this  will  not 
be  done  to  these  men." 

So  ended  this  long  talk  of  the  uninformed  savage, 
which  goes  to  show  that  they  have  a  warm  feeling  for 
their  red  brethren. 

It  appears  that  they  at  this  time  were  true  friends  to 
our  Government;  but  they  were,  I  have  no  doubt, 
frightened  into  this  friendship  by  the  first  talk  at 
Prairie  du  Chien,  which  Generals  Street  and  Atkinson 
held  with  them,  on  our  arrival  at  that  place,  after  the 
battle  of  Bad- Axe. 

It  may  not  here  be  uninteresting  to  the  reader,  to 
give  a  description  of  those  two  distinguished  prisoners, 
respecting  whom  so  much  has  been  said.  No  doubt 
they  were  the  sole  movers  and  cause  of  the  late  war. 
Black  Hawk  is  a  Pottawattomie 92  by  birth,  but  raised 
by  the  Sacs.  He  appears  to  be  about  sixty  years  old ; 
has  a  small  bunch  of  grey  hair  on  the  crown  of  his 
head,  the  rest  of  which  is  bare ;  has  a  high  forehead ; 
a  Roman  nose ;  and  full  mouth,  which  generally  in 
clines  to  be  a  little  open ;  has  a  sharp  chin ;  no  eye 
brows,  but  a  very  fine  eye.  His  head  is  frequently 
thrown  back  on  his  shoulders.  He  is  about  five  feet 


LATE    INDIAN    WAR  153 

four  or  five  inches  high ;  at  present  he  is  thin,  and 
appears  much  dejected ;  but  now  and  then  he  assumes 
the  aspect  of  command.  He  held  in  his  left  hand  a 
white  flag;  in  the  other,  the  tail  with  the  back,  skin, 
head,  and  beak  of  the  Caumet  Eagle.  With  this  he 
frequently  fans  himself.  His  Indian  name  is  Mucata- 
mish-ka-kack.93 

The  Prophet,  a  half  Sac  and  half  Winnebago,  is 
about  forty  years  old ;  nearly  six  feet  high  ;  is  stout 
and  athletic;  has  a  large  broad  face;  short  blunt  nose; 
large  full  eyes ;  broad  mouth ;  thick  lips ;  with  a  full 
suit  of  hair.  He  wore  a  white  cloth  head-dress  which 
rose  several  inches  above  the  top  of  his  head ;  the 
whole  man  exhibiting  a  deliberate  savageness;  not  that 
he  would  seem  to  delight  in  honorable  war,  or  fight; 
but  making  him  as  the  priest  of  assassination,  or  cleri 
cal  murder.  He  had  in  one  hand  a  white  flag,  while 
the  other  hung  carelessly  by  his  side.  They  were  both 
clothed  in  very  white  dressed  deer  skin,  fringed  at  the 
seams  with  short  cuttings  of  the  same.  His  Indian 
name  is  Wabokie-shick,  (the  White  Cloud.) 

According  to  the  directions  of  General  Street  and 
Colonel  Taylor,  those  two  Chiefs  (or  braves,)  accom 
panied  by  the  Winnebago  Chiefs,  and  braves,  went 
down  to  Rock  Island  at  the  stipulated  time,  under  the 
command  of  Col.  Taylor.94  But  when  they  got  to  this 
point,  which  had  been  the  place  designated  to  hold  the 
treaties  with  those  nations  of  Indians,  the  cholera  pre 
vailed  to  such  an  extent,  that  they  found  it  was 
impossible  to  treat  at  that  point;  so  Gen.  Scott, 
Governor  Reynolds,  and  those  concerned  in  the  treaty, 
dropped  down  the  Mississippi  to  Jefferson  Barracks, 
where  a  number  of  other  Chiefs  and  braves  were 
brought  to  them,  amongst  which  was  Napope,  a  cele 
brated  Sac  Chief,  also  Wisshick,  who  it  appears  cele 
brated  himself  at  the  battle  on  the  Mississippi,  for  it 


154  HISTORY     OF     THE 

appears    he    had    the    command    at   that    place,   and 
from  his  own  statement  did  much  execution  himself. 

Here  the  Commissioners  made  and  concluded  trea 
ties  both  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  and  the  Winne- 
bagoes,  which  the  reader  will  find  in  the  appendix  of 
this  book.*  It  was  a  fair  equitable  treaty;  the  govern 
ment  purchased  all  the  claims  they  had  to  lands  in  the 
state  of  Illinois,  and  pays  [paid]  them  a  liberal  sum  for 
the  same.  They  kept  Black  Hawk,  Napope,  Wisshick, 
and  the  Prophet,  as  hostages  for  the  good  behaviour 
of  the  rest  of  the  nation  of  Sacs  and  Foxes. 

Thus  terminated  a  short  but  laborious  war,  between 
the  United  States  and  those  nations  of  Indians;  but  it 
was  not  without  the  loss  of  some  of  our  valuable 
citizens,  that  peace  was  again  restored  to  our  country. 
In  the  accomplishment  of  this  desired  object,  it  is  just 
to  remark,  that  both  officer  and  soldier  did  all  that  lay 
in  their  power  to  bring  this  unhappy  war  to  a  close  as 
soon  as  possible. 

Our  citizen  soldiers  hesitated  not  when  the  sound  of 
alarm  was  given,  to  forsake  all  other  interests,  dear  as 
it  must  have  been  to  some,  to  defend  the  rights  of  their 
common  country.  They  at  once  saw  that  these  Indians 
had  violated  the  solemn  obligations  of  a  solemn  treaty, 
entered  into  but  a  few  months  before.  This  bold  and 
daring  defiance  of  us,  and  unprovoked  outrage  upon 
the  provisions  of  the  treaty,  aroused  the  indignation  of 
the  whole  country;  it  was  more  than  the  free  sons  of 
Illinois  could  think  of  bearing.  They  immediately 
at  the  call  of  their  chief,  flew  to  arms.  Their  Governor 
was  with  them,  and  one  of  the  first  in  the  field,  who, 
together  with  his  efficient  Adjutant  General,  organized 
the  troops  in  as  quick  time  as  ever  it  was  done  in  any 
country,  notwithstanding  they  labored  under  many 
difficulties  on  account  of  the  great  scarcity  of 

*  See  Appendix,  notes  6  and  7. 


LATE     INDIAN     WAR          155 

provisions  in  our  state  at  that  time;  for  a  visitation  of 
Providence  had  almost  entirely  cut  off  our  crops  the 
last  two  years.  To  provision  this  army  was  very  per 
plexing  at  this  time.  What  was  Governor  Reynolds 
to  do?  At  this  critical  moment  our  state  was  invaded 
by  a  savage  foe,  and  he  knew  not  how  soon  the  help 
less  citizens  on  the  frontiers  might  become  an  easy 
prey  to  their  barbarity.  But  justice  says  to  my  pen, 
write  it  down,  and  say  to  your  reader,  that  he  flew  to 
one  of  the  ablest  and  most  efficient  men,  Col.  March.95 
Provisions,  forage,  arms,  munitions  of  war,  and  every 
thing  that  was  necessary  was  soon  furnished  and  con 
veyed  up  the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  rivers,  to  such 
points  as  Governor  Reynolds  directed  him.  There 
were  provisions  in  St.  Louis,  and  this  energetic  and 
unsurpassable  man  got  them,  let  the  prices  be  what 
they  might  please  to  ask.  There  was  no  lack  of 
provision. 

But  the  first  campaign  proved  unsuccessful;  but 
such  is  the  fate  of  war,  and  none  ought  to  lay  the 
blame  on  the  Commander-in-Chief,  which  some  have 
had  the  boldness  to  do,  but  I  think  unjustly.  I  was 
an  eye  witness  a  greater  part  of  the  campaign,  and  I 
thought  he  did  not  spare  time  or  pains  to  hunt  out 
the  enemy,  and  chastise  them  for  their  temerity.  I 
think  he  must  be  a  man  of  a  reckless  disposition,  who 
would  charge  the  ill  success  to  him  in  this  first  cam 
paign.  Those  who  were  out  on  the  second  can  testify 
to  the  many  difficulties  we  had  to  encounter  before  we 
fell  in  with  the  enemy.  But  did  the  Governor,  when 
the  first  campaign  proved  unsuccessful,  fold  his  arms 
in  this  trying  and  critical  moment,  and  abandon  the 
bleeding  frontier  to  the  merciless  savages?  Did  he 
abandon  the  camp  for  a  life  of  ease,  in  the  repose  of 
his  own  domestic  habitation?  The  answer,  I  think, 
reader,  will  be  No !  by  all  who  know  anything  of  the 


156  HISTORY     OF    THE 

first  and  last  campaigns.  Did  he  not  see  that  a  fair 
portion  of  the  State,  which  he  had  the  honor  to  govern, 
was  exposed  to  the  midnight  and  noon  day  assassina 
tion  by  the  ruthless  savage?  Were  the  cries  of  his 
people  listened  to  unheeded?  No!  he  left  a  devoted 
band  under  the  command  of  those  heroic  soldiers, 
Henry  and  Fry,  and  issued  a  proclamation  to  his 
countrymen  to  come  forth  to  the  frontier  and  protect 
the  rights  of  their  country. 

Was  this  appeal,  too,  unheeded  by  the  gallant 
sons  of  Illinois?  Did  they  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  the 
cries  of  the  people  of  the  mining  country,  when  the 
savage  had  killed  some  of  its  choice  citizens  in  open 
day? 

Look  at  the  massacre  on  Indian  Creek,  of  the  Halls, 
Daviess,  and  Penigrew  families ;  the  highway  murder 
of  St.  Vrain,  Durley,  Howard,  Green,  Hall,  and  many 
others.  Who  could  see  or  hear  of  all  those  massacres, 
and  not  turn  out  in  defence  of  his  country  ?  Or  what 
Governor  would  tamely  lose  one  moment,  before  he 
would  fly  with  all  its  force  to  its  relief?  Was  not  this 
the  case  at  this  time?  Did  not  Governor  Reynolds  a 
second  time  invoke  the  patriotism  of  his  people  for 
a  fresh  supply  of  troops?  The  people  heard,  and 
abandoned  their  ploughs,  when  in  the  act  of  planting 
their  corn ;  the  courts  of  justice  were  suspended ;  the 
lawyer  quit  the  bar;  the  minister  of  divine  truth  for 
sook  the  pulpit  for  the  tented  fields  of  a  soldier's  life. 
They  plainly  saw,  that  if  the  arm  of  succour  was  not 
held  out  to  those  frontiers,  the  country  bordering  on 
the  Mississippi  and  Illinois,  and  the  Mining  District, 
would  soon  be  left  a  barren  wilderness,  and  present  a 
blaze  of  conflagration,  and  the  voice  of  our  friends  and 
neighbors  heard  no  more. 

Our  chief  gave  the  word,  "  to  arms  "  and  that  was 
sufficient;  all  were  soon  at  the  place  of  rendezvous; 


LATE    INDIAN    WAR  157 

none  slumbered  by  the  way ;  they  were  going  forth  to 
avenge  the  murders  of  their  butchered  brethren. 

In  obedience  to  the  call  of  their  Governor,  in  two 
weeks  there  was  a  force  of  nearly  four  thousand 
assembled  at  Fort  Wilbourn,  a  distance  of  at  least  three 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  the  homes  of  some  of  the 
volunteer  companies.  Here  we  again  found  our  Gov 
ernor  in  arms  in  defence  of  his  country.  The  army 
was  soon  organized,  by  the  aid  of  Adjutant  General 
Berry,  into  three  Brigades.  We  wanted  a  Bruce  or  a 
Wallace  to  lead  us  to  victory.  Such  a  man  was  the 
brave  James  D.  Henry98  to  become.  He  was  elected 
Brigadier  General  of  the  third  brigade,  as  I  have  before 
mentioned.  Generals  Posey  and  Alexander  are  like 
wise  deserving  men,  and  stand  high  in  the  estimation 
of  their  country.  But  an  all-wise  Providence  saw  fit 
to  crown  the  Bruce-like  Henry  with  the  glory  of 
avenging  our  country's  wrongs,  and  restoring  peace  to 
its  citizens. 

I  must  next  speak  of  Gen.  Atkinson,  who  has  a 
thousand  times  received  the  thanks  of  Illinois  and  the 
general  government.  He  had  the  command  of  all  the 
northwestern  army,  until  succeeded  by  General  Scott; 
which  was  not  until  after  the  last  battle  was  fought, 
and  the  enemy  completely  conquered.  This  officer 
is  also  deserving  well  of  his  country,  for  the  long  and 
vigilant  perseverance  in  pursuing  the  enemy  through 
every  difficulty  that  presented  itself.  He  can  truly 
have  it  to  say,  that  he  marched  an  army  over  a  country 
that  cannot  be  surpassed  in  the  inhabited  world,  and 
one  that  no  white  man  ever  approached  before.  Not 
even  the  savage  himself  attempts  to  penetrate  this 
country,  only  when  he  is  forced,  then  he  resorts  to 
this  mountainous  forest  to  evade  pursuit,  thinking  that 
no  white  man  can  penetrate  it.  This  was  done  as  I 
have  before  remarked,  in  the  year  eighteen  hundred 


158  HISTORY     OF     THE 

and  twenty- seven,  by  the  Winnebagoes,  after  they 
attacked  Captain  Lindsey's  boats  on  the  Mississippi. 
But  General  Atkinson  stopt  not  at  this  time  for  the 
tall  and  lofty  mountains,  or  the  low  and  marshy  swamp. 
His  word  of  command  to  his  generals,  was  "  onward, 
march"  —and  at  the  sound  of  the  morning  bugle,  he 
was  one  of  the  first  to  rise  and  prepare  for  the  pursuit. 
Although  stricken  in  years,  he  would  leap  offhis  charger, 
when  he  would  come  to  an  impassable  mud  hole  or  preci 
pice,  like  a  boy  of  sixteen.  This  officer,  throughout  the 
whole  of  this  long  campaign,  which  lasted  for  three 
months,  used  every  precaution  to  save  the  lives  of  his 
men,  when  danger  was  expected,  his  men  never  failed 
to  have  breast  works  thrown  up  when  they  encamped, 
for  fear  of  a  surprise  at  the  dead  hour  of  the  night. 

Thus,  by  his  perseverance,  and  the  gallant  officers 
under  him,  and  a  brave  and  chivalrous  set  of  soldiers, 
the  war  was  brought  to  an  end,  with  honor  to  both 
men  and  officers. 

But  whilst  we  rejoice  at  the  honorable  result  of  the 
close  of  this  war,  we  cannot  at  the  same  time  help 
lamenting  the  loss  of  so  many  valuable  citizens,  who 
were  either  massacred  at  their  own  private  dwellings, 
or  assassinated  on  the  highway,  or  fell  in  fighting  the 
battles  of  their  country. 

The  author  has  been  led  to  the  foregoing  reflections, 
from  seeing  in  many  of  the  eastern  prints,  that  many 
erroneous  statements  have  gone  abroad,  respecting  the 
origin  and  management  of  this  war;  and  some  of  them 
casting  reflections  on  the  Governor  of  our  State,  and 
crying  out,  "poor  Indians."  But  as  I  have  before 
observed,  none  but  the  reckless  and  abandoned  hearted 
man,  would  have  the  hardihood  to  cast  imputations 
upon  our  Executive,  and  cry  out,  "poor  Indians," 
after  a  thorough  perusal  of  the  many  outrages  these 
hell-hounds  committed  on  our  frontier  settlements. 


APPENDIX. 


NOTE  i. 

The  author  must  now  begin  with  the  Sac  and  Fox 
nations  of  Indians;  and  it  is  his  intention  to  confine 
himself  principally  to  the  war  between  them  and  the 
general  government. 

In  order  to  show  the  cause  of  hostilities  between 
those  Indians  and  the  United  States,  he  has  to  trouble 
the  reader  with  petitions  sent  by  the  settlers  near  Rock 
Island,  to  his  Excellency  Gov.  Reynolds,  praying  for 
protection ;  and  then  the  course  pursued  to  dissuade 
those  Indians  from  their  evil  designs,  by  Gen.  Clark, 
Gov.  Reynolds,  Gen.  Gaines,  and  the  Indian  Agent, 
without  a  resort  to  arms.  But  it  would  not  do ;  a 
resort  to  arms  was  indispensably  necessary  to  restore 
peace  and  safety  to  our  citizens.  The  letters  and  peti 
tions  are  as  follows : 

"April  30,  1831. 
u  His  Excellency  the  Governor  of  the  State  of  Illinois : 

"  We  the  undersigned,  being  citizens  of  Rock  River  and  its 
vicinity,  beg  leave  to  state  to  your  honor,  the  grievances  which 
we  labor  under,  and  pray  your  protection  against  the  Sac  and 
Fox  tribe  of  Indians,  who  have  again  taken  possession  of  our 
lands  near  the  mouth  of  Rock  River  and  its  vicinity.  They 
have,  and  now  are,  burning  our  fences,  destroying  our  crops 
of  wheat  now  growing,  by  turning  in  all  their  horses.  They 
also  threaten  our  lives  if  we  attempt  to  plant  corn,  and  say  they 
will  cut  it  up ;  that  we  have  stolen  their  lands  from  them ; 
and  they  are  determined  to  exterminate  us,  provided  we  don't 

[159] 


i6o 


APPEND  IX 


leave  the  country.  Your  honor  no  doubt  is  aware  of  the  out 
rages  that  were  committed  by  said  Indians,  heretofore.  Par 
ticularly  last  fall,  they  almost  destroyed  all  our  crops,  and 
made  several  attempts  on  the  owners'  lives  when  they 
attempted  to  prevent  their  depredations,  and  actually  wounded 
one  man  by  stabbing  him  in  several  places.  This  spring  they 
act  in  a  much  more  outrageous  and  menacing  manner,  so  that 
we  consider  ourselves  compelled  to  beg  protection  of  you  ; 
which  the  agent  and  garrison  on  Rock  Island  refuse  to  give, 
inasmuch  as  they  say  they  have  no  orders  from  government ; 
therefore,  should  we  not  receive  adequate  aid  from  your  honor, 
we  shall  be  compelled  to  abandon  our  settlement,  and  the 
lands  which  we  have  purchased  of  government.  Therefore, 
we  have  no  doubt  but  that  your  honor  will  better  anticipate  our 
condition,  than  it  is  represented,  and  grant  us  immediate  relief  in 
the  manner  that  to  you  may  seem  most  likely  to  produce  the 
desired  effect.  The  number  of  Indians  now  among  us,  is 
about  six  or  seven  hundred.  They  say  there  are  more  com 
ing,  and  that  the  Pottawattomies  and  some  of  the  Winneba- 
goes  will  help  them  in  case  of  an  irruption  with  the  whites. 
The  warriors  now  here,  are  the  Black  Hawk's  party,  with 
other  chiefs,  the  names  of  whom  we  are  not  acquainted  with. 
Therefore,  looking  up  to  you  for  protection,  we  beg  leave  to 
remain,  yours,  &c. 


«  John  Wells, 
B.  F.  Pike, 
H.  McNeil, 
Albert  Wells, 
Griffith  Ausbury, 
Thomas  Gardiner, 
J.  Vandruff, 
S.  Vandruff, 
John  L.  Bain, 
Horace  Cook, 
David  B.  Hail, 
John  Barrel, 
William  Henry, 


Arastus   Kent, 
Levi  Wells, 
Joel  Wells, 
Michael  Bartlet, 
Huntington  Wells, 
Thomas  Davis, 
Thomas  Lovitt, 
William  Heans, 
Charles  French, 
M.  S.  Hulls, 
Eri  Wells, 
Asaph  Wells, 


G.  V.  Miller, 
Edward  Burner, 
Joel  Thompson, 
Joel  Wells,  Jun., 
J.  W.  Spencer, 
Joseph  Danforth, 
William  Brasher, 
Jonah  H.  Case, 
Samuel  Wells, 
Charles  French, 
Benjamin  Goble, 
Gentry  McCall." 


APPENDIX  161 

NOTE  2. 

It  will  be  seen  that  this  petition  was  sent  to  the 
Governor  on  the  joth  of  April.  The  citizens  waited 
until  the  I9th  of  May,  when  they  found  they  would 
have  to  send  a  second  embassy  to  his  Excellency  by 
express,  in  as  much  haste  as  possible,  as  they  were 
hourly  in  danger  of  being  all  massacred  by  those 
Indians.  They  accordingly  drew  up  the  following 
petition  and  sent  it  by  one  of  the  most  respectable  of 
their  citizens,  who  was  able  in  person  to  lay  before  the 
Governor  their  grievances. 

«  FARNHAMBURG,  May  i9th,  1831. 

"  To  his  Excellency  the  Governor  of  the  State  of  Illinois  : 

"We  the  undersigned,  citizens  of  Rock  River  and  its 
vicinity,  having  previously  sent  a  petition  to  your  honor, 
praying  your  protection  against  these  Sac  Indians,  who  were 
at  that  time  doing  every  kind  of  mischief,  as  was  set  forth  and 
represented  to  your  honor :  but  feeling  ourselves  more 
aggrieved,  and  our  situation  more  precarious,  we  have  been 
compelled  to  make  our  distress  known  to  you  by  sending  one  of 
our  neighbors,  who  is  well  acquainted  with  our  situation.  If 
we  do  not  get  relief  speedily,  we  must  leave  our  habitations  to 
these  savages,  and  seek  safety  for  our  families,  by  taking  them 
down  into  the  lower  counties  -,  and  suffer  our  houses  and  fences 
to  be  destroyed;  as  one  of  the  principal  war  chiefs  has  threat 
ened,  if  we  do  not  abandon  our  settlement,  his  warriors  should 
burn  our  houses  over  our  heads.  They  were,  at  the  time  we 
sent  our  other  petition,  destroying  our  crops  of  wheat,  and  are 
still  pasturing  their  horses  in  our  fields;  burning  our  fences,  and 
have  thrown  the  roof  off  one  house.  They  shot  arrows  at  our 
cattle,  killed  our  hogs;  and  every  mischief.  We  have  tried 
every  argument  to  the  agent  for  relief,  but  he  tells  us  they  are 
a  lawless  band,  and  he  has  nothing  to  do  with  them  until 
further  orders;  leaving  us  still  in  suspense,  as  the  Indians  say, 
if  we  plant  we  shall  not  reap,  a  proof  of  which  we  had  last 
fall ;  they  almost  entirely  destroyed  all  our  crops  of  corn , 


162  APPENDIX 

potatoes,  &c.  Believing  we  shall  receive  protection  from  your 
Excellency,  we  shall  go  on  with  our  farms  until  the  return  of 
the  bearer;  and  ever  remain  your  humble  supplicants,  &c." 

I  omit  giving  the  names  of  the  signers  of  this  petition 
as  it  was  signed  by  nearly  the  same  citizens  who  signed 
the  first. 

I  will  next  give  the  reader  the  deposition  of  Ben 
jamin  F.  Pike,  the  bearer  of  the  above  petition  to 
Gov.  Reynolds,  and  also  the  depositions  of  Hirah 
Sanders  and  Ammyson  Chapman,  taken  before  John  H. 
Dennis,  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  St.  Clair,  and  Stephen 
Dewey  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  Fulton  county. 

"STATE  OF  ILLINOIS,  ST.  CLAIR  COUNTY. 

"Present,  Benjamin  F.  Pike,  before  me,  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace  in  and  for  the  said  county,  and  made  oath  and  deposed, 
that  he  has  resided  in  the  vicinity  of  Rock  River,  in  the  State 
of  Illinois,  for  almost  three  years  last  past;  that  he  is  well 
acquainted  with  the  band  of  Sac  Indians,  whose  chief  is  the 
Black  Hawk,  and  who  have  resided  and  do  now  reside  near  the 
mouth  of  Rock  River  in  this  State;  that  he  understands  so  much 
of  the  said  Indian  language,  as  to  converse  with  the  said  Indians 
intelligibly ;  that  he  is  well  satisfied  that  said  Indians,  to  the 
amount  of  about  three  hundred  warriors,  are  extremely 
unfriendly  to  the  white  people;  that  said  Indians  are  determined; 
if  not  prevented  by  force,  to  drive  off  the  white  people,  who 
have  some  of  them  purchased  land  of  the  United  States,  near 
said  Indians;  and  said  Indians  to  remain  the  sole  occupiers  of 
the  said  country.  That  said  Indians  do  not  only  make  threats 
to  this  effect,  but  have,  in  various  instances,  done  much  damage 
to  said  white  inhabitants,  by  throwing  down  their  fences, 
destroying  the  fall  grain,  pulling  off  the  roofs  of  houses,  and 
positively  asserting  that  if  the  whites  did  not  go  away,  they 
would  kill  them;  that  there  are  about  forty  inhabitants  and 
heads  of  families  in  the  vicinity  of  said  Indians,  who  are 
immediately  affected  by  said  band  of  Indians;  that  said  Pike  is 
certain  that  said  forty  heads  of  families,  if  not  protected,  will 
be  compelled  to  leave  their  habitations  and  homes  from  the 


APPENDIX  163 

actual  injury  that  said  Indians  will  commit  on  said  inhabitants. 
That  said  band  of  Indians,  consist,  as  above  stated,  of  about 
three  hundred  warriors,  and  that  the  whole  band  is  actuated  by 
the  same  hostile  feelings  towards  the  white  inhabitants ;  and 
that,  if  not  prevented  by  an  armed  force  of  men,  will  commit 
murders  on  said  white  inhabitants.  That  said  Indians  have 
said,  that  they  would  fight  for  their  country  where  they  reside, 
and  would  not  permit  the  white  people  to  occupy  it  at  all. 
That  said  white  inhabitants  are  desirous  to  be  protected,  and 
that  immediately,  so  that  they  may  raise  crops  this  spring  and 
summer. 

"BENJAMIN   F.  PIKE. 

"Sworn  and  subscribed  before  me,  this  26th  May,  1831. 
JOHN  H.  DENNIS,  J.  P." 

The  deposition  of  Hirah  Sanders  and  Ammyson 
Chapman,  taken  before  Stephen  Dewey,  Esq.,  a  Justice 
of  the  Peace  for  Fulton  county. 

"  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS,  FULTON  COUNTY. 

"  Personally  appeared  before  me,  Stephen  Dewey,  an  acting 
Justice  of  the  Peace  in  and  for  the  said  county  of  Fulton,  and 
State  of  Illinois,  Hirah  Sanders, and  Ammyson  Chapman,  of  the 
aforesaid  county  and  State,  and  made  oath  that  some  time  in 
the  month  of  April  last,  they  went  to  the  old  Indian  Sac  town, 
about  thirty  miles  up  Rock  River,  for  the  purpose  of  farming 
and  establishing  a  ferry  across  said  river,  and  the  Indians 
ordered  us  to  move  away,  and  not  to  come  there  again,  and 
we  remained  there  a  few  hours.  They  then  sent  for  their 
chief,  and  he  informed  us  that  we  might  depart  peaceably,  and 
if  we  did  not  that  he  would  make  us  go.  He  therefore 
ordered  the  Indians  to  throw  our  furniture  out  of  the  house ; 
they  accordingly  did  so,  and  threatened  to  kill  us  if  we  did  not 
depart.  We  therefore  discovered  that  our  lives  were  in  danger, 
and  consequently  moved  back  again  to  the  above  county. 
We  supposed  them  to  be  principally  Winnebagoes. 

"H.  SANDERS, 
"A.  CHAPMAN. 

"Sworn  and  Subscribed  this  nth  day  of  May,  1831. 
STEPHEN  DEWEY,  J.  P." 


164  APPENDIX 

There  were  several  other  petitions  sent  the  Gover 
nor  from  Henderson  river  and  elsewhere,  which  I  will 
not  trouble  the  reader  with  at  this  time;  likewise  a 
number  of  depositions  were  taken,  the  substance  of 
which  will  be  found  in  Gen.  Gaines's  report  to  the 
President  of  the  United  States. 

I  will  trouble  the  reader  with  those  documents,  in 
order  to  show  that  Governor  Reynolds  and  Gen. 
Gaines  did  not  act  premature,  but  acted  with  too  much 
forbearance  towards  those  Indians.  Likewise  I  hope 
it  will  put  the  seal  of  disapprobation  upon  many  false 
reports  that  have  gone  abroad,  to  the  prejudice  of  those 
men,  making  out  that  justice  has  not  been  done  them, 
as  I  have  before  stated.  I  think  if  they  are  to  blame 
at  all,  it  is  for  not  calling  out  an  armed  force  sooner 
than  what  they  did,  for  the  citizens  certainly  suffered 
very  much  by  the  annoyance  of  those  Indians.  It  has 
been  plainly  proven  that  those  lands  were  sold  by  those 
Indians  to  the  United  States,  and  the  United  States 
had  sold  many  of  them  to  those  individuals,  which 
they  had  paid  their  money  for,  and  as  individuals  are 
bound  to  protect  their  Government,  and  support  its 
laws.  It  also  is  the  duty  of  the  government  to  protect 
them. 

I  will  next  give  the  reader  the  correspondence  that 
took  place  between  Governor  Reynolds,  General 
Clark,  and  General  Gaines,  which  goes  fully  to  show 
that  those  Indians  were  not  to  be  persuaded  to  sur 
render  the  idea  of  taking  those  lands  by  force,  only  by 
an  army  superior  to  themselves  in  numbers. 

Copy  of  a  letter  to  General  Clark,  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs. 

"BELLEVILLE,  May  26,  1831. 
"  General  Clark,  Superintendent,  &c. 

"  SIR  :  In  order  to  protect  the  citizens  of  this  State,  who 
reside  near  Rock  Island,  from  Indian  invasion  and  depreda 
tion,  I  have  considered  it  necessary  to  call  out  a  force  of 


APPENDIX  165 

militia  of  this  State,  of  about  700  strong,  to  remove  a  band  of 
the  Sac  Indians,  who  reside  now  about  Rock  Island.  The 
object  of  the  government  of  the  State  is  to  protect  those  citi 
zens  by  removing  those  Indians,  peaceably  if  they  can,  but 
forcibly  if  they  must.  Those  Indians  are  now,  and  so  I  have 
considered  them,  in  a  state  of  actual  invasion  of  the  State. 

"  As  you  act  as  the  general  agent  of  the  United  States  in 
relation  to  said  Indians,  I  consider  it  my  duty  to  inform  you 
of  the  above  call  on  the  militia,  and  that  in  or  about  fifteen 
days  a  sufficient  force  will  appear  before  said  Indians  to  re 
move  them,  dead  or  alive,  over  to  the  west  side  of  the  Missis 
sippi.  But  to  save  all  this  disagreeable  business,  perhaps  a 
request  from  you  to  them,  for  them  to  remove  to  the  west 
side  of  the  river,  would  affect  the  object  of  procuring  peace  to 
the  citizens  of  the  State.  There  is  no  disposition  on  the  part 
of  the  people  of  this  State  to  injure  those  unfortunate  savages, 
if  they  will  let  us  alone  ;  but  a  government  that  does  not  pro 
tect  its  citizens,  deserves  not  the  name  of  a  government. 
u  Please  correspond  with  me  on  this  subject. 
"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"JOHN  REYNOLDS." 

"SUPERINTENDENCY  of  INDIAN  AFFAIRS,  1 

St.  Louis,  May  28,  1831.      J 

"  SIR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your 
letter  of  the  26th  inst.  informing  me  of  your  having  consid 
ered  it  necessary  to  collect  a  force  of  militia  of  about  seven 
hundred,  for  the  protection  of  the  citizens  of  Illinois  who 
reside  near  Rock  Island,  from  Indian  invasion  ;  and  for  the 
purpose  of  removing  a  band  of  Sac  Indians,  who  are  now 
about  Rock  Island. 

"  You  intimate  that  to  prevent  the  necessity  of  employing 
this  force,  perhaps  a  request  from  me  to  those  Indians  to 
remove  to  the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi,  would  effect  the 
object  of  procuring  peace  to  the  citizens  of  your  State.  In 
answer  to  which,  I  would  beg  leave  to  observe,  that  every 
effort  on  my  part  has  been  made  to  effect  the  removal  from 
Illinois  of  all  the  tribes  who  had  ceded  their  lands. 

"  For  the  purpose  of  affording  you  a  view  of  what  has  been 
done  (in  part)  in  relation  thereto,  I  enclose  herewith  extracts 


166  APPENDIX 

from  the  reports  of  the  agent  of  the  Sac  and  Fox  tribes,  by 
which  it  will  be  seen  that  every  means  has  been  used  short  of 
actual  force  to  effect  their  removal. 

ct  I  have  communicated  the  contents  of  your  letter  to  Gen 
eral  Gaines,  who  commands  the  Western  Division  of  the 
Army,  and  has  full  power  to  execute  any  military  movement 
deemed  necessary  for  the  protection  of  the  frontier.  I  shall 
also  furnish  him  with  such  information,  regarding  the  Sac 
and  Foxes,  as  I  am  possessed  of;  and  would  beg  (cave  to 
refer  you  to  him  for  any  further  proceedings  in  relation  to  this 
subject.  I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

"  With  high  respect, 

u  Your  most  ob't  serv't, 

"WM.    CLARK. 
"His  Excellency,  JOHN    REYNOLDS, 

"  Governor  of  the  State  of  111.  " 

Copy  of  a  letter  to  Major  Gen.  Gaines. 

BELLEVILLE,  May  28,   1831. 
u  General  Gaines  : 

"  SIR :  I  have  received  undoubted  information,  that  the 
section  of  this  State  near  Rock  Island,  is  actually  invaded  by 
a  hostile  band  of  the  Sac  Indians,  headed  by  Black  Hawk;  and 
in  order  to  repel  said  invasion,  and  to  protect  the  citizens  of 
the  State,  I  have,  under  the  provisions  of  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States,  and  the  laws  of  this  State,  called  on  the 
militia,  to  the  number  of  seven  hundred  men,  who  will  be 
mounted  and  ready  for  service  in  a  very  short  time.  I  con 
sider  it  my  duty  to  lay  before  you  the  above  information,  so 
as  you,  commanding  the  military  forces  of  the  United  States 
in  this  part  of  the  Union,  may  adopt  such  measures  in  regard 
to  said  Indians  as  you  deem  right. 

"  The  above  mentioned  mounted  volunteers  (because  such 
they  will  be)  will  be  in  readiness  immediately  to  move  against 
said  Indians,  and,  as  Executive  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  respect 
fully  solicit  your  co-operation  in  this  business.  Please  honor 
me  with  an  answer  to  this  letter. 

"  With  sincere  respect  for  your  character, 
"  I  am,  your  obdt.  servant, 

"JOHN    REYNOLDS." 


APPENDIX  167 

Copy  of  a  letter  of  Major  General  Games. 

"H.  Q.  WESTERN  DEPARTMENT,  May  29,  1831. 

u  His  Excellency,  Governor  Reynolds  : 

"  SIR:  I  do  myself  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt 
of  your  letter  of  yesterday's  date,  advising  me  of  your  having 
received  undoubted  information  that  the  section  of  the  frontier 
of  your  State  near  Rock  Island,  is  invaded  by  a  hostile  band 
of  Sac  Indians,  headed  by  a  chief  called  Black  Hawk.  That 
in  order  to  repel  said  invasion,  and  to  protect  the  citizens  of 
the  State,  you  have  called  on  the  militia  to  the  number  of 
seven  hundred  militiamen,  to  be  in  readiness  immediately  to 
move  against  the  Indians,  and  you  solicit  my  co-operation. 

"  In  reply,  it  is  my  duty  to  state  to  you,  that  I  have  ordered 
six  companies  of  the  regular  troops  stationed  at  Jefferson  Bar 
racks,  to  embark  to-morrow  morning,  and  repair  forthwith  to 
the  spot  occupied  by  the  hostile  Sacs.  To  this  detachment  I 
shall,  if  necessary,  add  four  companies  from  Prairie  du  Chien, 
making  a  total  of  ten  companies.  With  this  force  I  am  sat 
isfied  that  I  shall  be  able  to  repel  the  invasion,  and  give 
security  to  the  frontier  inhabitants  of  the  State.  But  should 
the  hostile  band  be  sustained  by  the  residue  of  the  Sac,  Fox, 
and  other  Indians,  to  an  extent  requiring  an  augmentation  of 
my  force,  I  will,  in  that  event,  communicate  with  your  Excel 
lency  by  express,  and  avail  myself  of  the  co-operation  which 
you  propose.  But,  under  existing  circumstances,  and  the 
present  aspect  of  our  Indian  relations  on  the  Rock  Island  sec 
tion  of  the  frontier,  I  do  not  deem  it  necessary  or  proper  to 
require  militia,  or  any  other  description  of  force,  other  than 
that  of  the  regular  army  at  this  place  and  Prairie  du  Chien. 

u  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully, 
"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"EDMUND   P.    GAINES, 
"  Major  Gen.  by  Brevet  Commanding." 


168  APPENDIX 

NOTE  3. 

General  Games  to  Governor  Reynolds. 

"  HEADQUARTERS,  ROCK  ISLAND,  5th  June,  1831. 
"  'John  Reynolds,  Governor  of  Illinois  : 

"  SIR  :  I  do  myself  the  honor  to  report  to  your  Excellency 
the  result  of  my  conference  with  the  chiefs  and  braves  of  the 
band  of  Sac  Indians,  settled  within  the  limits  of  your  State 
near  this  place. 

u  I  called  their  attention  to  the  facts  reported  to  me  of  their 
disorderly  conduct  towards  the  white  inhabitants  near  them. 
They  disavow  any  intention  of  hostility,  but  at  the  same  time 
adhere  with  stubborn  pertinacity,  to  their  purpose  of  remain 
ing  on  the  Rock  River  land  in  question. 

"  I  notified  them  of  my  determination  to  move  them  peace 
ably  if  possible,  but  at  all  events  to  move  them  to  their  own 
side  of  the  Mississippi  river ;  pointing  out  to  them  the  appar 
ent  impossibility  of  their  living  on  lands  purchased  by  the 
whites  without  constant  disturbance.  They  contended  that 
this  part  of  their  country  had  never  been  sold  by  them.  I 
explained  to  them  the  different  treaties  of  1804,  '16  and  '25, 
and  concluded  with  a  positive  assurance  that  they  must  move  off, 
and  that  I  must  as  soon  as  they  are  ready  assist  them  with  boats. 

"  I  have  this  morning  learned  that  they  have  invited  the 
Prophet's  band  of  Winnebagoes  on  Rock  River,  with  some 
Pottawattomies  and  Kickapoos,  to  join  them.  If  I  find  this 
to  be  true  I  shall  gladly  avail  myself  of  my  present  visit  to  see 
them  well  punished  ;  and  therefore,  I  deem  it  to  be  the  only 
safe  measure  now  to  be  taken  to  request  of  your  Excellency 
the  battalion  of  mounted  men,  which  you  did  me  the  honor  to 
say  would  co-operate  with  me.  They  will  find  at  this  post  a 
supply  of  rations  for  the  men,  with  some  corn  for  their  horses  ; 
together  with  a  supply  of  powder  and  lead. 

"  I  have  deemed  it  expedient  under  all  the  circumstances 
of  the  case,  to  invite  the  frontier  inhabitants  to  bring  their 
families  to  this  post  until  the  difference  is  over. 

"I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  great  respect, 
u  Your  obedient  servant, 

"EDMUND  P.  GAINES, 
"Major  Gen.  by  Brevet  Commanding." 


APPENDIX  169 

P.  S.  Since  writing  the  foregoing  remarks,  I  have  learned 
that  the  Winnebagoes  and  Pottawattomie  Indians  have  actu 
ally  been  invited  by  the  Sacs  to  join  them.  But  the  former 
evince  no  disposition  to  comply  ;  and  it  is  supposed  by  Col. 
Gratiot,  the  Agent,  that  none  will  join  the  Sacs,  except  per 
haps  some  few  of  the  Kickapoos. 

"E.  P.  G." 


NOTE  4. 

"  Articles  of  agreement  and  capitulation,  made  and  con 
eluded  this  thirtieth  day  of  June,  one  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  thirty  one,  between  E.  P.  Gaines,  Major  General  of  the 
United  States  Army,  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  John 
Reynolds,  Governor  of  Illinois,  on  the  part  of  the  State  of 
Illinois,  and  the  Chiefs  and  Braves  of  the  band  of  Sac  Indians, 
usually  called  the  British  band  of  Rock  River,  with  their 
old  allies  of  the  Pottawattomie,  Winnebago,  and  Kickapoo 
nations. 

"  Witnesseth,  that  whereas,  the  said  British  band  of  Sac 
Indians,  have,  in  violation  of  the  several  treaties  entered  into 
between  the  United  States  and  the  Sac  and  Fox  nations,  in  the 
years  1804,  1816,  and  1825,  continued  to  remain  upon,  and 
to  cultivate  the  lands  on  Rock  River,  ceded  to  the  United 
States  by  the  said  treaties,  after  the  said  lands  had  been  sold 
by  the  United  States,  to  individual  citizens  of  Illinois  and 
other  States  :  And  whereas,  the  said  British  band  af  Sac 
Indians,  in  order  to  sustain  their  pretensions  to  continue  upon 
the  said  Rock  River  lands,  have  assumed  the  attitude  of  actual 
hostility  towards  the  United  States,  and  have  had  the  audacity 
to  drive  citizens  of  the  State  of  Illinois  from  their  homes, 
destroy  their  corn,  and  invite  many  of  their  old  friends  of  the 
Pottawattomie,  Winnebago,  and  Kickapoos  to  unite  with  them 
(the  said  British  band  of  Sacs)  in  war,  to  prevent  their  removal 
from  said  lands  :  And  whereas,  many  of  the  most  disorderly 
of  their  several  tribes  of  Indians,  did  actually  join  the  said 
British  band  of  Sac  Indians  prepared  for  war  against  the 
United  States,  and  more  particularly  against  the  State  of  Illi 
nois  ;  from  which  purpose  they  confess  that  nothing  could 


170  APPENDIX 

have  restrained  them  but  the  appearance  of  force  far  exceed 
ing  the  combined  strength  of  the  said  British  band  of  Sac 
Indians,  with  such  of  their  aforesaid  allies  as  had  actually 
joined  them  ;  but  being  now  convinced  that  such  a  war  would 
tend  speedily  to  annihilate  them,  they  have  voluntarily  aban 
doned  their  hostile  attitude  and  sued  for  peace. 

"  Peace  is  therefore  granted  them  upon  the  following  con 
ditions,  to  which  the  said  British  band  of  Sac  Indians,  with 
their  aforesaid  allies  agree ;  and  for  the  faithful  execution  of 
which  the  undersigned  Chiefs  and  Braves  of  the  said  band 
and  their  allies  mutually  bind  themselves,  their  heirs  and 
assigns  for  ever. 

"  2.  The  British  band  of  Sac  Indians  are  required  peace 
ably  to  submit  to  the  authority  of  the  friendly  Chiefs  and 
Braves  of  the  United  Sac  and  Fox  nations,  and  at  all  times 
hereafter  to  reside  and  hunt  with  them  upon  their  own  lands 
west  of  the  Mississippi  river,  and  be  obedient  to  their  laws 
and  treaties,  and  no  one  or  more  of  the  said  band  shall  ever 
be  permitted  to  recross  said  river  to  the  place  of  their  usual 
residence,  nor  to  any  part  of  their  old  hunting  ground  east  of 
the  Mississippi,  without  the  express  permission  of  the  Presi 
dent  of  the  United  States,  or  the  Governor  of  the  State  of 
Illinois. 

u  3.  The  United  States  will  guarantee  to  the  united  Sac  and 
Fox  nations,  including  the  said  British  band  of  Sac  Indians,  the 
integrity  of  all  the  lands  claimed  by  them  west  of  the  Mississippi 
river  pursuant  to  the  treaties  of  the  years  1825  and  1830. 

"  4.  The  United  States  require  the  united  Sac  and  Fox 
nations, including  the  aforesaid  British  band,toabandon  all  com 
munication  and  cease  to  hold  any  intercourse  with  any  British 
post,  garrison  or  town,  and  never  again  to  admit  among  them 
any  agent  or  trader  who  shall  not  have  derived  his  authority  to 
hold  commercial  or  other  intercourse  with  them  from  the 
President  of  the  United  States  or  his  authorized  agent. 

"5.  TheUnited  States  demand  an  acknowledgment  of  their 
right  to  establish  military  posts  and  roads  within  the  limits  of 
the  said  country  guaranteed  by  the  third  article  of  this  agree 
ment  and  capitulation,  for  the  protection  of  the  frontier 
inhabitants. 


APPENDIX  171 

"  6.  It  is  further  required  by  the  United  States,  that  the 
principal  friendly  Chiefs  and  head  men  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes 
bind  themselves  to  enforce  as  far  as  may  be  in  their  power, 
the  strict  observance  of  each  and  every  article  of  this  agree 
ment  and  capitulation,  and  at  any  time  they  may  find  them 
selves  unable  to  restrain  their  allies  the  Pottawattomies,  Kick- 
apoos  or  Winnebagoes,  to  give  immediate  information  thereof 
to  the  nearest  military  post. 

"  7.     And   it  is   finally  agreed  by  the  contracting  parties, 
that  henceforth  permanent  peace  and  friendship  be  established 
between  the  United  States  and  the  aforesaid  band  of  Indians. 
(Signed)     "EDMUND  P.  GAINES, 

"  Major  Gen.  by  Brevet  Commanding. 
(Signed)     "JOHN  REYNOLDS, 

"  Governor  of  the  State  of  Illinois. 

[Sac]     Chiefs. 

Pashepaho,  or  Stabbing  Chief,  his  X  mark. 
Weeshat,  or  Sturgeon  Head,  his  X  mark. 
Chakinpoxepaho,  or  Little  Stabbing  Chief,  his  X  mark. 
Chicohalico,  or  Turtle  Shell,  his  X  mark. 
Pemexee,  or  The  one  that  flies,  his  X  mark. 

Warriors  and  Braves. 

Mucata  Muhicatak,  or  the  Black  Hawk,  his  X  mark. 
Menacon,  or  The  Lead,  his  X  mark. 
Kakekamah,  or  All  Fish,  his  X  mark. 
Crepesh,  or  Water,  his  X  mark. 

Casamesan,  or  The  one  that  flies  too  fast,  his  X  mark. 
Paunenanee,  or  Paune  Man,  his  X  mark. 
Wawapalosa,  or  White  Walker,  his  X  mark. 
Wapaquat,  or  White  Horse,  his  X  mark. 

Keokuck,  or  Walker,  his  X  mark.       [Not  the  principal  chief 
of  that  name.] 

Fox   Chiefs. 

Wapello,  or  The  Prenee,  his  X  mark. 
Katemse,  or  The  Eagle,  his  X  mark. 
Pawsheet,  or  The  one  who  threw,  his  X  mark. 
Namer,  or  The  one  that  has  gone,  his  X  mark. 


172  APPENDIX 

Fox  Braves  and  Warriors. 
Allotoh,  or  Morgan,  his  X  mark. 
Kakakew,  or  The  Crow,  his  X  mark. 
Shesveguanas,  or  Little  Guard,  his  X  mark. 
Kokaskee,  his  X  mark. 
Takona,  or  The  Prisoner,  his  X  mark. 
Crakiskowa,  or  The  one  that  meets,  his  X  mark. 
Pametekeh,  or  The  one  that  clouds  about,  his  X  mark. 
Tapokea,  or  The  Light,  his  X  mark. 

Moransot,  or  The  one  that  has  his  hair  pulled,  his  X  mark. 
Kakenekapeo,  or  Setting  in  the  Grass,  his  X  mark. 

Witnesses. 

Jos.  M.  Street,  United  States  Indian  Agent,  Prairie  du 
Chien ;  Aby.  [W.]  Morgan,  Colonel  U.  S.  Infantry;  J.  Bliss, 
Bvt.  Maj.  3d  Infantry;  Geo.  A.  McCall,  Aidecamp;  Saml. 
Whiteside;  Felix  St.  Vrain,  Indian  Agent;  John  S.  Great- 
house  ;  M.  K.  Alexander ;  A.  S.  West ;  Antoine  Le  Claire, 
Interpreter;  Joseph  Da  n  forth  ;  Daniel  S.  Witter;  Benj.  F. 
Pike." 

NOTE   5. 

"  H.  Q.  WESTERN  DEPARTMENT, 

'  NASHVILLE,  TENN.  Aug.  10,  1831. 

"  SIR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  report  for  the  information  of 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  the  several  depositions  and 
original  letters,  to  w.hich  I  have  hitherto  referred,  since  the 
date  of  my  last,  of  the  first  ultimo.  In  relation  to  the  late 
disorderly  conduct  of  the  British  band  of  Sac  Indians,  in 
attempting  to  retake  and  hold  possession  of  the  Rock  River 
lands ;  and  for  this  purpose  to  enter  into  alliances,  and  form 
combinations  with  the  most  disorderly  of  their  red  neighbors, 
against  the  States  of  Missouri  and  Illinois  and  the  Territory 
of  Michigan,  viz  : 

"No.  i.  The  deposition  of  Rennah  Wells,  Samuel 
Wells,  Benjamin  Pike,  Joseph  Danforth,  Moses  Johnson, 
John  Wells,  John  W.  Spencer,  Joseph  H.  Case,  and  Charles 
Case,  sworn  to  and  subscribed  June  loth,  1831,  before 

WILLIAM  T.  BRASHER,  J.  P. 


APPENDIX  173 

"  No.  2.  The  deposition  of  John  Wells,  sworn  to  the 
loth  of  June,  1831,  before 

JOEL  WELLS,  J.  P. 

"  No.  3.  The  deposition  of  Rennah  Wells,  and  Samuel 
Wells,  sworn  to  and  subscribed  the  loth  of  June,  1831, 
before 

JOEL  WELLS,  J.  P. 

"  No.  4.  The  deposition  of  Nancy  Wells  and  Nancy 
Thompson,  sworn  to  and  subscribed  the  loth  of  June,  1831, 
before 

WILLIAM  T.  BRASHER,  J.  P. 

u  No.  5.  The  deposition  of  Joseph  Danforth,  sworn  to 
and  subscribed  the  loth  of  June,  1831,  before 

JOEL  WELLS,  J.  P. 

"No.  6.  The  copy  of  a  letter  for  [from] P.  L.  Chouteau,  In 
dian  Agent  for  the  Osage  nation,  to  General  William  Clark, 
Superintendent  of  Indian  affairs,  dated  the  ayth  of  June,  1831. 

"No.  7.  A  letter  from  Felix  St.  Vrain,  agent  for  the  Sac 
and  Fox  Indians,  dated  the  I5th  of  June,  1831. 

"  No.  8.  A  letter  from  Colonel  Henry  Gratiot,  sub-agent 
for  the  Winnebago  Indians,  dated  the  nth  of  June,  1831. 

"  No.  9.  A  letter  from  Colonel  Henry  Gratiot,  sub-agent 
for  the  Winnebago  Indians,  dated  the  2id  of  June,  1831, 
with  a  copy  of  a  communication  from  John  Dixon  to  J.  G. 
Soulard,  dated  the  iyth  of  June,  1831. 

"No.  10.  A  letter  from  Colonel  Henry  Gratiot,  dated  ist 
July,  1831,  enclosing  a  talk,  or  communication,  signed  by 
some  of  the  chiefs  of  the  Winnebago  nation  of  his  sub- 
agency.  " 

"  These  depositions  numbered  one  to  five  inclusively,  and 
which  are  in  substance  similar  to  those  on  which  Governor 
Reynolds's  communication  of  the  2gth  of  May  last  was 
based,  and  which  he  promised  to  forward  to  the  War 
Department,  sufficiently  establish  the  facts  of  the  return 
of  the  British  band  of  Sac  Indians  to  the  place  of  their 
former  residence  on  Rock  river,  after  the  lands  had 
been  sold,  surveyed,  and  in  part  inhabited  by  several  of 
these  deponents ;  and  the  hostile  conduct  of  this  band  with 
determined  purpose  forcibly  to  hold  those  lands,  in  violation 


174  APPENDIX 

of  the  several  treaties  of  1804,  i8i6,and  1825.  The  second 
article  of  the  last  mentioned  treaty,  clearly  shows  that  the  Sac 
and  Fox  Indians  have  no  claim  to  any  lands  whatsoever  east 
of  the  Mississippi  river,  and  it  puts  an  end  to  all  doubt  or 
cavil  that  might  possibly  arise  under  the  seventh  article  of  the 
treaty  of  1804;  inasmuch  as,  by  the  aforesaid  second  article 
of  treaty  of  1825,  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians  expressly  re 
linquished  all  their  claims  to  land  east  of  the  Mississippi  river. 
The  enclosed  No.  6  copy  of  a  letter  from  Colonel  P.  L. 
Chouteau,  U.  S.  agent  for  the  Osage  Indians,  to  General 
Clark,  with  enclosure  No.  7,  a  letter  from  Felix  St.  Vrain, 
taken  in  connection  with  the  other  letters  herewith,  Nos.  8, 
9,  and  10,  together  with  the  enclosed  depositions,  established, 
as  clearly  as  could  be  desired,  the  long  continued  restlessness 
and  enmity  of  this  band  of  Sac  Indians  against  the  United 
States,  as  well  as  the  great  exertions  and  systematic  efforts  on 
the  part  of  the  offenders,  to  organize  an  opposition,  as  for 
midable  as  the  Indians  near  us  have  ever  wielded  against  us 
when  aided  by  the  forces  of  England,  as  in  1812  and  1813, 
for  their  object  was,  as  extravagant  as  it  may  seem,  to  make 
a  simultaneous  attack  upon,  and  break  up  the  whole  line  of 
frontier  settlements  from  Detroit  along  our  western  border  to 
the  Sabine  or  Texas.  Long  as  I  have  known  our  southern 
and  western  Indians,  and  often  as  I  have  witnessed  their 
lamentable  ignorance  of  our  strength,  and  of  the  utter  impos 
sibility  of  their  affecting,  without  the  aid  of  a  civilized  power, 
any  thing  like  a  formidable  array  of  force  against  us,  I  found 
among  the  Winnebago  and  Sac  Indians,  a  still  greater  degree 
of  ignorance  and  arrogance  and  stupidity. 

u  The  reports  which  first  reached  me,  of  the  Sac  Indians 
having  sent  a  deputation  to  the  Osage  and  nations  to  the  south 
west  as  far  as  Texas,  with  a  view  to  invoke  their  aid  in  a  war 
against  the  United  States,  seemed  too  extravagant  to  merit  the 
least  notice.  Nor  did  I  place  any  reliance  on  the  report,  until 
it  was  confirmed  by  the  evidence  of  their  interpreters  and 
traders,  with  the  assurance  of  Col.  Gratiot  and  other  persons 
long  acquainted  with  those  Indians;  that  they  frequently 
indulge  in  the  habit  of  boasting,  that  they  have  always  beaten 
our  troops  in  battle,  often  when  their  number  were  much 


APPENDIX  175 

inferior  to  ours  ;  and  that  they  believed  that  more  red  men 
can  be  brought  out  against  us  than  we  can  oppose  to  them 
white  men. 

"  This  impression  is  of  course  confined  to  the  Indians  who 
have  never  visited  the  interior  of  our  middle  and  eastern  states. 
Those  who  have  visited  the  city  of  Washington,  are  generally 
better  informed  ;  but  these  have  not  that  influence  among 
their  more  savage  brethren,  which  superior  information  would 
seem  to  entitle  them  to ;  and  they  are,  moreover,  much 
influenced  in  their  views  and  policy  by  the  prevailing  impres 
sion,  that,  let  the  Indians  do  what  they  may  towards  us  in 
violation  of  existing  treaties,  they  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  sue 
for  peace  whenever  they  please,  and  by  a  new  treaty,  give  us 
satisfaction,  and  obtain  for  themselves  rations,  presents,  annui 
ties,  &c. 

"  I  take  this  occasion  to  remark,  that,  though  satisfied  of 
the  necessity  of  my  movement,  and  of  the  employment,  under 
the  circumstances  of  the  case,  of  the  volunteers  called  for, 
even  whilst  without  definite  information  as  to  the  extent  of 
the  arrangements  by  the  Sac  Indians ;  to  obtain  the  assist 
ance  of  their  old  brother  warriors,  who  served  with  them  un 
der  Tecumseh,  in  the  years  1812  and  1813,  the  information 
obtained  by  me  at  Rock  Island  in  the  early  part  of  the  month 
of  June,  and  more  especially  that  which  I  enclose  herewith, 
convinced  me  that  without  the  increased  force  brought  out  by 
Gov.  Reynolds,  the  lives  of  many  of  our  frontier  families 
would  in  all  probability  have  been  lost  in  an  Indian  war,  in 
that  quarter,  before  the  close  of  the  present  summer.  If  my 
measures  shall  have  contributed  to  arrest  a  calamity  so  much 
and  so  justly  to  be  deprecated,  I  shall  rejoice  at  the  result, 
inasmuch  as  I  have  acted  in  accordance  with  a  maxim  which 
has  borne  me  through  the  most  difficult  service.  I  have 
hitherto  encountered  the  maxim  which  requires  that  in  pre 
paring  against  Indian  or  other  foes,  we  should  rely  for  success 
mainly  on  our  own  strength  and  vigilance,  rather  than  upon 
the  supposed  feebleness  of  our  adversary. 

"  I  have  delayed  this  report  in  expectation  of  receiving  and 
forwarding  with  the  enclosed,  some  additional  statements  of 
facts  designating  more  particularly  the  different  notions  or 


176  APPENDIX 

tricks  of  Indians,  applied  to,  or  engaged  by  the  Sac  deputa 
tion,  but  the  last  mail  from  the  west  having  brought  me  noth 
ing  upon  this  subject,  I  deem  it  proper  to  make  no  further 
delay. 

"  All  which  is  respectfully  submitted, 

(Signed)  "E.  P.    GAINES, 

"  Major  General  by  Bt.  Commanding." 

The  following  is  the  substance  of  the  depositions  of  sun 
dry  citizens  of  the  Rock  river  settlement,  taken  before  William 
Brasher,  J.  P.  and  Joel  Wells,  J.  P.  on  the  loth  of  June,  1831. 

"i.  John  Wells,  John  W.  Spencer,  Jonah  H.  Case, 
Rennah  Wells,  Samuel  Wells,  Benjamin  T.  Pike,  Joseph 
Danforth,  and  Moses  Johnson,  before  William  Brasher,  J.  P., 
swore  that  the  Sac  Indians,  did  through  the  last  year  repeat 
edly  threaten  to  kill  them  for  being  on  their  ground,  and 
acted  in  the  most  outrageous  manner,  threw  down  their 
fences,  burnt  or  destroyed  their  rails,  turned  horses  into  their 
corn-fields,  and  almost  destroyed  their  crops,  stole  their  pota 
toes,  killed  and  ate  their  hogs,  shot  arrows  into  their  cattle,  and 
put  out  their  eyes,  thereby  rendering  them  useless  to  the 
owners,  saying  the  land  was  theirs,  and  that  they  had  not  sold 
it.  In  April  they  ordered  the  deponents  to  leave  their  houses, 
and  turned  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  horses  into  one  man's 
wheat  field,  threatening  that  the  fields  should  not  be  reaped, 
although  the  owners  should  plough  them,  and  although  said 
owners  had  purchased  the  land  of  the  United  States  govern 
ment.  The  Indians  also  leveled  deadly  weapons  at  the 
citizens,  and  on  some  occasions  hurt  some  of  the  said  citizens, 
for  attempting  to  prevent  the  destruction  of  their  property. 
Also  that  the  Indians  stole  their  horses,  some  of  which  were 
returned  by  the  agent  six  or  eight  months  after,  and  in  a  mis 
erable  condition;  others  were  never  heard  of  again.  Nearly 
fifty  Indians  headed  by  their  notorious  war  chief,  all  armed 
and  equipped  for  war,  came  to  the  house  of  Rennah  Wells, 
and  ordered  him  to  be  off,  or  they  would  kill  him,  which,  for 
the  safety  of  his  family,  he  obeyed.  They  then  went  to 
another  house,  rolled  out  a  barrel  of  whisky,  and  destroyed  it, 
as  well  as  committing  many  other  outrages,  to  the  knowledge 
of  the  deponents. 


APPENDIX  177 

"  2.  John  Wells,  before  Joel  Wells,  J.  P.,  swore,  That 
on  the  30th  of  September,  1830,  he  saw  two  Sac  Indians 
throwing  down  his  fence,  who  said  they  were  doing  it  for  the 
purpose  of  going  through,  in  which  they  persisted  although 
forbidden  by  the  owner,  and  when  the  owner  attempted  to 
prevent  them,  one  of  them  made  a  pass  at  him  with  his  fist, 
and  drew  his  knife  on  him. 

"  3.  Rennah  and  Samuel  Wells,  before  Joel  Wells,  J.  P., 
swore,  That  on  the  2gth  of  May,  a  party  of  Sac  Indians, 
calling  themselves  chiefs,  with  Black  Hawk  at  their  head, 
came  to  the  house  of  Rennah  Wells,  near  the  mouth  of  Rock 
River,  and  said  that  he  must  let  the  squaws  cultivate  his  field, 
which  Wells  refusing,  they  became  much  displeased,  and  told 
him  to  go  off;  upon  Wells's  refusal  they  went  away.  That 
on  the  next  day  the  same  chiefs,  with  about  fifty  warriors, 
came,  armed,  and  told  Wells  that  he  must  move,  or  they 
would  cut  the  throats  of  himself  and  family,  and  making 
motions  to  that  effect,  upon  which  said  Wells  told  them  that 
he  would  take  counsel,  and  tell  them  at  three  o'clock  the  next 
day  what  would  be  his  determination.  They  consented,  and 
went  away ;  at  the  appointed  time  they  returned,  and  told 
Wells  that  he  must  go  off;  which  he  accordingly  did,  leaving 
all  his  possessions  to  the  Indians. 

"  4.  Nancy  Thompson,  and  Nancy  Wells,  before  W.  J. 
Brasher,  swore,  That  in  October,  1830,  two  Indians,  residing 
in  the  village  forty  or  fifty  miles  above  the  mouth  of  Rock 
River,  and  called  Sacs  or  Winnebagoes,  came  to  the  house  of 
Rennah  Wells,  and  commenced  chasing  some  sheep,  as  if 
they  would  kill  them ;  those  Indians  were  ordered  to  desist, 
upon  which  they  drew  their  knives  and  made  at  the  women, 
who  being  alarmed,  called  for  assistance,  Samuel  Wells  being 
sick  in  the  house  at  the  time,  ran  out  with  a  pitch-fork,  and 
the  Indians  pursued  no  farther.  London  L.  Case  heard  the 
alarm  given,  and  joined.  The  Indians  then  returned  to  the 
river  bank  eighty  or  one  hundred  yards  distant;  when  Case, 
thinking  they  were  still  in  pursuit  of  the  sheep,  went  to  ascer 
tain  the  truth,  and  coming  near  the  Indians  they  wounded  him 
severely  in  three  places  with  a  knife  and  tomahawk. 

"5.     Joseph   Danforth,  before   Joel  Wells,  J.  P.,  swore, 


i78  APPENDIX 

That  he  saw  Sacs  at  a  fence  belonging  to  John  Wells,  who 
forbid  them  going  through,  when  they  continued  throwing 
down  the  fence.  Wells  attempted  to  prevent  them,  when 
one  of  the  Indians  struck  him  with  his  fist,  and  drew  his 
knife ;  Danforth  got  a  stick,  and  the  Indians  making  several 
attempts  towards  Danforth,  he  (Danforth)  knocked  one  of 
them  down  with  his  stick.  The  Indian  rose  several  times 
and  made  at  Danforth  with  his  knife,  and  finally  deserted  the 
ground,  leaving  his  knife. 

The  above  is  the  substance  of  the  depositions  above 
mentioned. 

NOTE  6. 

"  Whereas,  a  treaty  between  the  United  States  of  America 
and  the  Winnebago  nation  of  Indians,  was  made  and  con 
cluded  at  Fort  Armstrong,  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  on  the 
fifteenth  day  of  September,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
thirty-two,  by  Winfield  Scott  and  John  Reynolds,  Commis 
sioners  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  and  certain  Chiefs, 
Headmen,  and  Warriors  of  the  Winnebago  nation,  on  the 
part  of  the  said  nation,  which  treaty  is  in  the  words  following, 
to  wit: 

''Articles  of  a  treaty  made  and  concluded  at  Fort  Arm 
strong,  Rock  Island,  Illinois,  between  the  United  States  of 
America,  by  their  Commissioners,  Major  General  Winfield 
Scott,  of  the  United  States'  Army,  and  his  Excellency  John 
Reynolds,  Governor  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  the  Winne 
bago  nation  of  Indians,  represented  in  general  Council  by  the 
undersigned  Chiefs,  Headmen,  and  Warriors. 

"ART.  I.  The  Winnebago  nation  hereby  cede  to  the 
United  States,  forever,  all  the  lands  to  which  said  nation  have 
title  or  claim,  lying  to  the  south  and  east  of  the  Wisconsin 
river,  and  the  Fox  river  of  Green  Bay ;  bounded  as  follows, 
viz:  beginning  at  the  mouth  of  Pee-kee-tol-a-ka  river;  thence, 
up  Rock  River  to  its  source ;  thence,  with  a  line  dividing  the 
Winnebago  nation  from  other  Indians  east  of  the  Winnebago 
lake,  to  the  Grand  Chute ;  thence,  up  Fox  river  to  the  Win 
nebago  lake,  and  with  the  northwestern  shore  of  said  lake,  to 


APPENDIX  179 

the  inlet  of  Fox  River;  thence  up  said  river  to  lake  Puck- 
away,  and  with  the  eastern  shore  of  the  same  to  its  most  south 
easterly  bend ;  thence  with  the  line  of  purchase  made  of  the 
Winnebago  nation,  by  the  treaty  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  the  first 
day  of  August,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty-nine, 
to  the  place  of  beginning. 

"ART.  II.  In  part  consideration  of  the  above  cession,  it  is 
hereby  stipulated  and  agreed,  that  the  United  States  grant  to 
the  Winnebago  nation,  to  be  held  as  other  Indian  lands  are 
held,  that  part  of  the  tract  of  country  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Mississippi,  known,  at  present,  as  the  neutral  ground,  embraced 
within  the  following  limits,  viz  :  beginning  on  the  west  bank 
of  the  Mississippi  river,  twenty  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the 
upper  loway  river,  where  the  line  of  the  lands  purchased  of  the 
Sioux  Indians,  as  described  in  the  third  article  of  the  treaty  of 
Prairie  du  Chien,  of  the  fifteenth  day  of  July,  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  thirty,  begins ;  thence  with  said  line,  as 
surveyed  and  marked,  to  the  eastern  branch  of  the  Red  Cedar 
creek ;  thence  down  said  creek,  forty  miles,  in  a  straight  line, 
but  following  its  windings,  to  the  line  of  purchase,  made  of 
the  Sac  and  Fox  tribe  of  Indians,  as  designated  in  the  second 
article  of  the  before  recited  treaty;  and  thence  along  the 
southern  line  of  said  last  mentioned  purchase,  to  the  Mississippi, 
at  the  point  marked  by  the  surveyor,  appointed  by  the  President 
of  the  United  States,  on  the  margin  of  said  river ;  and  thence 
up  said  river  to  the  place  of  beginning.  The  exchange  of  the 
two  tracts  of  country  to  take  place  on  or  before  the  first  day 
of  June  next ;  that  is  to  say,  on  or  before  that  day,  all  the 
Winnebagoes  now  residing  within  the  country  ceded  by  them 
as  above,  shall  leave  the  said  country,  when  and  not  before, 
they  shall  be  allowed  to  enter  upon  the  country  granted  by  the 
United  States,  in  exchange. 

"ART.  III.  But,  as  the  country  hereby  ceded  by  the 
Winnebago  nation  is  more  extensive  and  valuable  than  that 
given  by  the  United  States  in  exchange;  it  is  further  stipulated 
and  agreed,  that  the  United  States  pay  to  the  Winnebago 
nation,  annually,  for  twenty-seven  successive  years,  the  first 
payment  to  be  made  in  September  of  the  next  year,  the  sum 
of  ten  thousand  dollars  in  specie  ;  which  sum  shall  be  paid  to 


i8o  APPENDIX 

the  said  nation  at  Prairie  du  Chien  and  Fort  Winnebago,  in 
sums  proportional  to  the  numbers  residing  most  conveniently 
to  those  places  respectively. 

"ART.  IV.  It  is  further  stipulated  and  agreed,  that  the 
United  States  shall  erect  a  suitable  building,  or  buildings,  with 
a  garden  or  field  attached,  somewhere  near  Fort  Crawford,  or 
Prairie  du  Chien,  and  establish  and  maintain  therein,  for  the 
term  of  twenty-seven  years,  a  school  for  the  education, 
including  clothing,  board  and  lodging,  of  such  Winnnebago 
children  as  may  be  voluntarily  sent  to  it ;  the  school  to  be 
conducted  by  two  or  more  teachers,  male  and  female,  and  the 
said  children  to  be  taught  reading,  writing,  arithmetic,  garden 
ing,  agriculture,  carding,  spinning,  weaving ;  and  sewing, 
according  to  their  ages  and  sexes,  and  such  other  branches  of 
useful  knowledge  as  the  President  of  the  United  States  may 
prescribe ;  Provided,  That  the  annual  cost  of  the  school  shall 
not  exceed  the  sum  of  three  thousand  dollars.  And,  in  order 
that  the  said  school  may  be  productive  of  the  greatest  benefit 
to  the  Winnebago  nation,  it  is  hereby  subjected  to  the  visits 
and  inspections  of  his  Excellency  the  Governor  of  the  State 
of  Illinois  for  the  time  being;  the  United  States'  General 
Superintendents  of  Indian  affairs  ;  of  the  United  States'  agents 
who  may  be  appointed  to  reside  among  the  Winnebago  Indians, 
and  of  an  officer  of  the  United  States'  Army,  who  may  be  of, 
or  above  the  rank  of  Major :  Provided  that  the  commanding 
officer  of  Fort  Crawford  shall  make  such  visits  and  inspections 
frequently,  although  of  an  inferior  rank. 

"ART.  V.  And  the  United  States  further  agree  to  make 
to  the  said  nation  of  Winnebago  Indians  the  following  allow 
ances,  for  the  period  of  twenty-seven  years,  in  addition  to  the 
considerations  hereinbefore  stipulated  ;  that  is  to  say  ;  for  the 
support  of  six  agriculturists,  and  the  purchase  of  twelve  yokes 
of  oxen,  ploughs  and  other  agricultural  implements,  a  sum  not 
exceeding  two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  per  annum  ;  to 
the  Rock  River  band  of  Winnebagoes,  one  thousand  five 
hundred  pounds  of  tobacco,  per  annum  ;  for  the  services  and 
attendance  of  a  physician  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  and  of  one  at 
Fort  Winnebago,  each,  two  hundred  dollars  per  annum. 

"ART.  VI.      It  is  further  agreed  that  the  United  States 


APPENDIX  181 

remove  and  maintain,  within  the  limits  prescribed  in  this  treaty, 
for  the  occupation  of  the  Winnebagoes,  the  blacksmith's  shop, 
with  the  necessary  tools,  iron,  and  steel  heretofore  allowed  to 
the  Wrnnebagoes,  on  the  waters  of  the  Rock  River,  by  the 
third  article  of  the  treaty  made  with  the  Winnebago  nation, 
at  Prairie  du  Chien,  on  the  first  day  of  August,  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  twenty-nine. 

"ART.  VII.  And  it  is  further  stipulated  and  agreed  by  the 
United  States,  that  there  shall  be  allowed  and  issued  to  the 
Winnebagoes,  required  by  the  terms  of  this  treaty  to  remove 
within  their  new  limits,  soldiers'  rations  of  bread  and  meat, 
for  thirty  days  :  Provided,  that  the  whole  number  of  such 
rations  shall  not  exceed  sixty  thousand. 

"ART.  VIII.  The  United  States,  at  the  request  of  the 
Winnebago  nation  of  Indians,  aforesaid,  further  agree  to  pay, 
to  the  following  named  persons,  the  sums  set  opposite  their 
names  respectively,  viz  : 

"To  Joseph  Ogee,  two  hundred  and  two  dollars  and  fifty 
cents  ; 

"To  William  Wallace,  four  hundred  dollars,  and 

"To  John  Dougherty,  four  hundred  and  eighty  dollars; 
amounting  in  all,  to  one  thousand  and  eighty-two  dollars  and 
fifty  cents,  which  sum  is  in  full  satisfaction  of  the  claims 
brought  by  said  persons  against  said  Indians,  and  by  them 
acknowledged  to  be  justly  due. 

"ART.  IX.  On  demand  of  the  United  States'  Commis 
sioners,  it  is  expressly  stipulated  and  agreed,  that  the  Winne 
bago  nation  shall  promptly  seize  and  deliver  up  to  the 
commanding  officer  of  some  United  States'  military  post,  to 
be  dealt  with  according  to  law,  the  following  individual 
Winnebagoes,  viz :  Koo-zee-ray-Kaw,  Moy-che-nun-Kaw, 
Tshik-o-ke-maw-kaw,  Ah-hun-see-Kaw,  and  Waw-zee-ree- 
kay-hee-wee-kaw,  who  are  accused  of  murdering,  or  of  being 
concerned  in  the  murdering  of  certain  American  citizens,  at 
or  near  the  Blue  Mounds,  in  the  territory  of  Michigan  ;  Nau- 
saw-nay-he-kaw,  and  Toag-ra-naw-koo-ray-see-ray-kaw  ;  who 
are  accused  of  murdering  or  of  being  concerned  in  murdering, 
one  or  more  American  citizens,  at  or  near  Kellogg's  Grove, 
in  the  State  of  Illinois ;  and  also  Waw-kee-aun-shaw  and  his 


182  APPENDIX 

son  who  wounded,  in  attempting  to  kill,  an  American  soldier, 
at  or  near  lake  Kosh-ke-nong,  in  the  said  territory ;  all  of 
which  offences  were  committed  in  the  course  of  the  past 
spring  and  summer.  And  till  these  several  stipulations  are 
faithfully  complied  with  by  the  Winnebago  nation,  it  is  further 
agreed  that  the  payment  of  the  annuity  of  ten  thousand 
dollars,  secured  by  this  treaty,  shall  be  suspended. 

"ART.  X.  At  the  special  request  of  the  Winnebago 
nation,  the  United  States  agree  to  grant,  by  patent,  in  fee 
simple,  to  the  following  named  persons,  all  of  whom  are 
Winnebagoes  by  blood,  lands  as  follows  :  To  Pierre  Paquette, 
three  sections ;  to  Pierre  Paquette,  junior ;  one  section,  to 
Therese  Paquette,  one  section  ;  The  lands  to  be  designated 
under  the  direction  of  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
within  the  country  ceded  by  the  Winnebago  nation. 

"ART.  XL  In  order  to  prevent  misapprehensions  that 
might  disturb  peace  and  friendship  between  the  parties  to  this 
treaty,  it  is  expressly  understood  that  no  band  or  party  of  Win 
nebagoes  shall  reside,  plant,  fish,  or  hunt  after  the  first  day  of 
June  next,  on  any  portion  of  the  country  herein  ceded  to  the 
United  States. 

"  ART.  XII.  This  treaty  shall  be  obligatory  on  the  con 
tracting  parties,  after  it  shall  be  ratified  by  the  President  and 
Senate  of  the  United  States. 

"  Done  at  Fort  Armstrong,  Rock  Island,  Illinois,  this  fif 
teenth  day  of  September,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
thirty-two. 

"WINFIELD  SCOTT, 
"JOHN  REYNOLDS. 

Prairie  du  Chi  en  Deputation. 
Tshee-o-nuzh-ee-kaw,  War   Chief,  (Kar-ray-mau-nee)  his  x 

mark. 

Wau-kaun-hah-kaw,  or  Snake  Skin,  (Day-kan-ray)  his  x  mark. 
Khay-rah-tshoan-saip-kaw,  or  Black  Hawk,  his  x  mark. 
Wau-kaun-kaw,  or  Snake,  his  x  mark. 

Sau-sau-mau-nee-kaw,   or  He  who  walks   naked,  his  x  mark. 
Hoantsh-skaw-skaw,  or  White  Bear,  his  x  mark. 
Hoo-tshoap-kaw,  or    Four  Legs,  his  x  mark. 


APPENDIX  183 

Mau-hee-her-kar-rah,  or  Flying   Cloud,  son    of    Dog  Head, 

his  x  mark. 
Tshah-shee-rah-wau-kaw,  or  he  who  takes  the  leg  of  a  deer  in 

his  mouth,  his  x  mark. 
Mau-kee-wuk-kaw,  or  Cloudy,  his  x  mark. 
Ho-rah-paw-kaw,  or  Eagle  Head,  his  x  mark. 
Hash-kay-ray-kaw,  or  Fire  Holder,  his  x  mark. 
Eezhook-hat-tay-kaw,  or  Big  Gun,  his  x  mark. 
Mau-wau-ruck,  or  The  Muddy,  his  x  mark. 
Mau-shoatsh-kaw,  or  Blue  Earth,  his  x  mark. 
Wee-tshah-un-kuk,  or  Forked  Tail,  his  x  mark. 
Ko-ro-ko-ro-he-kaw,  or  Bell,  his  x  mark. 
Haun-heigh-kee-paw-kaw,  or  The  Night    that  meets,  his  x 

mark. 

Fort  Winnebago  Deputation. 

Hee-tshah-wau-saip-skaw-skaw,  or  White  War  Eagle,   De- 

kaw-ray  sr.  his  x  mark. 
Hoo-wau-nee-kaw,  or  Little  Elk,  (orator)  one  of  the  Kay-ra- 

men-nees,  his  x  mark. 
Wau-kaun-tshah-hay-ree-kaw,    or    Roaring    Thunder,    Four 

legs  Nephew,  his  x  mark. 

Mau-nah-pey-kaw,  or  Soldier,  (Black  Wolf's  son)  his  x  mark. 
Wau-kaun-tsha-ween-kaw,  or  Whirling  Thunder,  his  x  mark. 
Wau-nee-ho-no-nik,  or  Little  Walker,  son  of  Fire  Brand,  his 

X  mark. 
To-shun-uk-ho-nik,  or  Little   Otter,  son  of  Sweet  Corn,  his 

X  mark. 
Tshah-tshun-hat-tay-kaw,  or  Big  Wave,  son  of  Clear  Sky,  his 

X  mark. 

Rock  River  Deputation. 

Kau-ree-kaw-see-kaw,  White   Crow,  (the  blind)  his  x  mark. 
Mo-rah-tshay-kaw,  or  Little  Priest,  his  x  mark. 
Mau-nah-pey-kaw,  or  Soldier,  his  x  mark. 
Ho-rah-hoank-kaw,  or  War  Eagle,  his  x  mark. 
Nautsh-kay-peen-kaw,  or  Good  Heart,  his  x  mark. 
Keesh-koo-kaw,  his  x  mark. 
Wee-tshun-kaw,  or  Goose,  his  x  mark. 


184  APPENDIX 

Wau-kaun-nig-ee-nik,  or  Little  Snake,  his  x  mark. 
Hoo-way-skaw,  or  White  Elk,  his  x  mark. 
Hay-noamp-kaw,  or  Two  Horns,  his  x  mark. 
Ee-nee-wonk-shik-kaw,  or  Stone  Man,  his  x  mark. 

Signed  in  presence  of, 

R.  Bache,  Captain  Ord.  Secretary  to  the  Commission. 
Jos.  M.  Street,  United  States  Indian  Agent. 
John  H.  Kinzie;  Sub  Agt.  Indian  Affairs. 
Abrm.  Eustis. 

H.  Dodge,  Major  U.  S.  Rangers. 
Alexr.  R.  Thompson,  Major  United  States  Army. 
William  [S.]  Harney,  Capt.  ist  Infantry. 
E.  Kirby,  Paymaster  United  States  Army. 
Albion  T.  Crow. 
John  Marsh. 

Pierre  Paquette,  Interpreter,  his  x  mark. 
P.  H.  Gait,  Assistant  Adjutant  General. 
S.  W.  Wilson. 
Benj.  F.  Pike. 

J.  B.  F.  Russell,  Captain  5th  Infantry. 
S.  Johnson,  Captain  2d  Infantry. 
John  Clitz,  Adj.  2d  Infantry. 
Jno.  Pickell,  Lieutenant  4th  Artillery. 
A.  Drane,  A.  Qr.  U.  S.  A. 
J.  R.  Smith,  ist  Lieutenant  2d  Infantry. 
H.  Day,  Lieutenant  2d  Infantry. 
William  Maynadier,  Lieutenant  and  A.  D.  C. 
P.  G.  Hambaugh. 

S.  Burbank,  Lieutenant  ist  Infantry. 
J.  H.  Prentiss,  Lieutenant  ist  Artillery. 
E.  Rose,  Lieutenant  3d  Artillery. 
L.  J.  Beall,  Lieutenant  ist  Infantry. 
Antoine  Le  Claire.  " 

"  Now,  therefore,  be  it  known  that  I,  Andrew  Jackson, 
President  of  the  United  States  of  America,  having  seen  and 
considered  said  Treaty, do, by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent 
of  the  Senate,  as  expressed  by  their  resolution  of  the  ninth 


APPENDIX  185 

instant,  accept,  ratify  and  confirm  the  same,  and  every  clause 
and  article  thereof. 

"  In  testimony  whereof,  I  have  caused  the  seal  of  the 
United  States  to  be  hereunto  affixed,  having  signed  the  same 
with  my  hand. 

u  Done  at  the  City  of  Washington,  this  thirteenth  day  of 
February,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hun 
dred  and  thirty-three,  and  of  the  Independence  of  the  United 
States,  the  fifty-seventh. 

"ANDREW  JACKSON. 

u  By  the  President : 

"EDW.  LIVINGSTON,  Secretary  of  State." 


NOTE    7. 

Whereas  a  treaty,  between  the  United  States  of  America 
and  the  confederated  tribes  of  Sac  and  Fox  Indians,  was  made 
and  concluded  at  Fort  Armstrong,  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  on 
the  twenty-first  day  of  September,  one  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  thirty-two,  by  Winfield  Scott,  and  John  Reynolds,  Com 
missioners  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  and  certain  Chiefs, 
Headmen  and  Warriors  of  the  confederated  tribes  of  Sac  and 
Fox  Indians,  on  the  part  of  said  tribes,  which  Treaty  is  in 
the  words  following,  to  wit: 

"  Articles  of  a  Treaty  of  peace,  friendship  and  cession, 
concluded  at  Fort  Armstrong,  Rock  Island,  Illinois,  between 
the  United  States  of  America,  by  their  Commissioners,  Major 
General  Winfield  Scott,  of  the  United  States  Army,  and  his 
Excellency  John  Reynolds,  Governor  of  the  State  of  Illinois, 
and  the  confederated  tribes  of  Sac  and  Fox  Indians,  repre 
sented  in  general  Council,  by  the  undersigned  Chiefs,  Headmen 
and  Warriors. 

"  Whereas,  under  certain  lawless  and  desperate  leaders,  a 
formidable  band,  constituting  a  large  portion  of  the  Sac  and 
Fox  nation,  left  their  country  in  April  last,  and,  in  violation 
of  treaties,  commenced  an  unprovoked  war  upon  unsuspecting 
and  defenceless  citizens  of  the  United  States,  sparing  neither 
age  nor  sex;  and  whereas,  the  United  States, at  a  great  expense 


i86  APPENDIX 

of  treasure  have  subdued  the  said  hostile  band,  killing  or  cap 
turing  all  its  principal  chiefs  and  warriors — the  said  States, 
partly  as  indemnity  for  the  expense  incurred,  and  partly  to 
secure  the  future  tranquility  of  the  invaded  frontier,  demand 
of  the  said  tribes,  to  the  use  of  the  United  States,  a  cession 
of  a  tract  of  the  Sac  and  Fox  country,  bordering  on  said  frontier, 
more  than  proportional  to  the  numbers  of  the  hostile  band 
who  have  been  so  conquered  and  subdued. 

"  ART.  I.  Accordingly  the  confederated  tribes  of  Sacs 
and  Foxes  hereby  cede  to  the  United  States  forever,  all  the 
lands  to  which  the  said  tribes  have  title,  or  claim,  (with  the 
exception  of  the  reservation  hereinafter  made,)  included  within 
the  following  bounds,  to  wit :  Beginning  on  the  Mississippi 
river,  at  the  point  where  the  Sac  and  Fox  northern  boundary 
line  as  established  by  the  second  article  of  the  treaty  of  Prairie 
du  Chien,  of  the  fifteenth  of  July,  one  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  thirty,  strikes  said  river ;  thence,  up  said  boundary  line  to 
a  point  fifty  miles  from  the  Mississippi,  measured  on  said 
line:  thence,  in  a  right  line  to  the  nearest  point  on  the  Red 
Cedar  of  the  loway,  forty  miles  from  the  Mississippi  river ; 
thence,  in  a  right  line  to  a  point  in  the  northern  boundary 
line  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  fifty  miles,  measured  on  said 
boundary,  from  the  Mississippi  river ;  thence,  by  the  last 
mentioned  boundary  to  the  Mississippi  river,  and  by  the  west 
ern  shore  of  said  river  to  the  place  of  beginning.  And  the 
said  confederated  tribes  of  Sacs  and  Foxes  hereby  stipulate 
and  agree  to  remove  from  the  lands  herein  ceded  to  the  United 
States,  on  or  before  the  first  day  of  June  next ;  and,  in  order 
to  prevent  any  future  misunderstanding,  it  is  expressly  under 
stood,  that  no  band  or  party  of  the  Sac  or  Fox  tribes  shall 
reside,  plant,  fish,  or  hunt  on  any  portion  of  the  ceded  country 
after  the  period  just  mentioned. 

"ART.  II.  Out  of  the  cession  made  in  the  preceding 
article,  the  United  States  agree  to  a  reservation  for  the  use  of 
the  said  confederated  tribes,  of  a  tract  of  land  containing  four 
hundred  square  miles,  to  be  laid  off  under  the  directions  of 
the  President  of  the  U.  States,  from  the  boundary  line  cross 
ing  the  loway  river,  in  such  manner  that  nearly  an  equal 
portion  of  the  reservation  may  be  on  both  sides  of  said  river, 


APPENDIX  187 

and  extending  downwards,  so  as  to  include  Keokuck's  princi 
pal  village  on  its  right  bank,  which  village  is  about  twelve 
miles  from  the  Mississippi  river. 

"ART.  III.  In  consideration  of  the  great  extent  of  the 
foregoing  cession  the  United  States  stipulate  and  agree  to  pay 
to  the  said  confederated  tribes,  annually,  for  thirty  successive 
years,  the  first  payment  to  be  made  in  September  of  the  next 
year,  the  sum  of  twenty  thousand  dollars  in  specie. 

"ART.  IV.  It  is  further  agreed  that  the  United  States 
shall  establish  and  maintain  within  the  limits,  and  for  the  use 
and  benefit  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  for  the  period  of  thirty 
years,  one  additional  black  and  gun  smith  shop,  with  the 
necessary  tools,  iron  and  steel,  and  finally  make  a  yearly  allow 
ance  for  the  same  period,  to  the  said  tribes,  of  forty  kegs  of 
tobacco,  and  forty  barrels  of  salt,  to  be  delivered  at  the  mouth 
of  the  loway  river. 

"ART.  V.  The  United  States,  at  the  earnest  request  of 
the  said  confederated  tribes,  further  agree  to  pay  to  Farnham 
and  Davenport,  Indian  traders  at  Rock  Island,  the  sum  of 
forty  thousand  dollars  without  interest,  which  sum  will  be  in 
full  satisfaction  of  the  claims  of  the  said  traders  against  the 
said  tribes,  and  by  the  latter  was,  on  the  tenth  day  of  July, 
one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty-one,  acknowledged  to 
be  justly  due,  for  articles  of  necessity,  furnished  in  the  course 
of  the  seven  preceding  years,  in  an  instrument  of  writing  of 
said  date,  duly  signed  by  the  Chiefs  and  Headmen  of  said 
tribes,  and  certified  by  the  late  Felix  St.  Vrain,  United  States' 
Agent,  and  Antoine  Le  Claire,  United  States'  Interpreter,  both 
for  the  said  tribes. 

"ART.  VI.  At  the  special  request  of  the  said  confeder 
ated  tribes,  the  United  States  agree  to  grant,  by  patent,  in  fee 
simple,  to  Antoine  Le  Claire,  Interpreter,  a  part  Indian,  one 
section  of  land  opposite  Rock  Island,  and  one  section  at  the 
head  of  the  first  rapids  above  said  Island,  within  the  country 
herein  ceded  by  the  Sacs  and  Foxes. 

"ART.  VII.  Trusting  to  the  good  faith  of  the  neutral 
bands  of  Sacs  and  Foxes,  the  United  States  have  already 
delivered  up  to  those  bands  the  great  mass  of  prisoners  made 
in  the  course  of  the  war  by  the  United  States,  and  promise  to 


188  APPENDIX 

use  their  influence  to  procure  the  delivery  of  other  Sacs  and 
Foxes,  who  may  still  be  prisoners  in  the  hands  of  a  band  of 
Sioux  Indians,  the  friends  of  the  United  States ;  but  the  fol 
lowing  named  prisoners  of  war,  now  in  confinement,  who 
were  Chiefs  and  Headmen,  shall  be  held  as  hostages  for  the 
future  good  conduct  of  the  late  hostile  bands,  during  the 
pleasure  of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  viz.  —  Muk- 
ka-ta-mish-a-ka-kaik  (or  Black  Hawk)  and  his  two  sons ; 
Wau-ba-kee-shik  (the  Prophet)  his  brother  and  two  sons  ; 
Napope  ;  We-sheet  loway  ;  Pamaho ;  and  Cha-kee-pa-shi- 
pa-ho  (the  little  stabbing  Chief.) 

"  ART.  VIII.  And  it  is  further  stipulated  and  agreed 
between  the  parties  to  this  treaty,  that  there  shall  never  be 
allowed  in  the  confederated  Sac  and  Fox  nation,  any  separate 
band,  or  village,  under  any  chief  or  warrior  of  the  late  hostile 
bands  ;  but  that  the  remnant  of  the  said  hostile  bands  shall  be 
divided  among  the  neutral  bands  of  the  said  tribes  according 
to  blood  —  the  Sacs  among  the  Sacs,  and  the  Foxes  among 
the  Foxes. 

"  ART.  IX.  In  consideration  of  the  premises,  peace  and 
friendship  are  declared,  and  shall  be  perpetually  maintained 
between  the  United  States  and  the  whole  confederated  Sac 
and  Fox  nation,  excepting  from  the  latter  the  hostages  before 
mentioned. 

"ART.  X.  The  United  States,  besides  the  presents 
delivered  at  the  signing  of  this  treaty,  wishing  to  give  a  strik 
ing  evidence  of  their  mercy  and  liberality,  will  immediately 
cause  to  be  issued  to  the  said  confederated  tribes,  principally 
for  the  use  of  the  Sac  and  Fox  women  and  children,  whose 
husbands,  fathers  and  brothers,  have  been  killed  in  the  late 
war,  and  generally  for  the  use  of  the  whole  confederated 
tribes,  articles  of  subsistence  as  follows :  —  thirty-five  beef 
cattle  ;  twelve  bushels  of  salt ;  thirty  barrels  of  pork  ;  and  fifty 
barrels  of  flour,  and  cause  to  be  delivered  for  the  same  pur 
poses,  in  the  month  of  April  next,  at  the  mouth  of  the  lower 
loway,  six  thousand  bushels  of  maize  or  Indian  corn. 

"ART.  XI.  At  the  request  of  the  said  confederated 
tribes,  it  is  agreed  that  a  suitable  present  shall  be  made  to  them 
on  their  pointing  out  to  any  United  States  agent,  authorized 


APPENDIX  189 

for  the  purpose,  the  position  or  positions  of  one  or  more  mines, 
supposed  by  the  said  tribes  to  be  of  a  metal  more  valuable 
than  lead  or  iron. 

"  ART.  XII.  This  treaty  shall  take  effect  and  be  obliga 
tory  on  the  contracting  parties,  as  soon  as  the  same  shall  be 
ratified  by  the  President  of  the  United  States,  by  and  with  the 
consent  of  the  Senate  thereof. 

u  Done  at  Fort  Armstrong,  Rock  Island,  Illinois,  this 
twenty-first  day  of  September,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty-two,  and  of  the  Independ 
ence  of  the  United  States  the  fifty-seventh. 

"WINFIELD  SCOTT, 
"JOHN  REYNOLDS." 

Sacs. 

Kee-o-kuck,  or  He  who  has   been  every  where,  his  x  mark. 
Pa-she-pa-ho,  or  the  Stabber,  his  x  mark. 
Pia-tshe-noay,  or  the  Noise  Maker,  his  x  rnark. 
Wawk-kum-mee,  or  Clear  Water,  his  x  rnark. 
O-sow-wish-kan-no,  or  Yellow  Bird,  his  x  rnark. 
Pa-ca-to-kee,  or  Wounded  Lip,  his  x  mark. 
Winne-wun-quai-saat,  or  the  Terror  of  Men,  his  x  mark. 
Mau-noa-tuck,  or  He  who  controls  many,  his  x  mark. 
Wau-we-au-tun,  or  the  Curling  Wave,  his  x  mark. 

Foxes. 

Wau-pel-la,  or  He  who  is  painted  white,  his  x  mark. 
Tay-wee-mau,  or  Medicine  Man,  (Strawberry)  his  x  mark. 
Pow-sheek,  or  the  Roused  Bear,  his  x  mark. 
An-nau-mee,  or  the  Running  Fox,  his  x  mark. 
Ma-tow-e-qua,  or  the  Jealous  Woman,  his  x  mark. 
Mee-shee-wau-quaw,  or  the  Dried  Tree,  his  x  mark. 
May-kee-sa-mau-ker,  or  the  Wampum  Fish,  his  x  mark. 
Chaw-co-saut,  or  the  Prowler,  his  x  mark. 
Kaw-kaw-kee,  or  the  Crow,  his  x  mark. 
Mau-que-tee,  or  the  Bald  Eagle,  his  x  mark. 
Ma-she-na,  or  Cross  Man,  his  x  mark. 

Kaw-kaw-ke-moute,  or  the  Pouch,  (running  bear)  his  x  mark. 
Wee-she-kaw-ka-skuck,  or  He  who  steps  firmly,  his  x  mark. 


190  APPENDIX 

Wee-ca-ma,  or  Good  Fish,  his  x  mark. 
Paw-qua-nuey,  or  the  Runner,  his  x  mark. 
Ma-hua-wai-be,  or  Wolf  Skin,  his  x  rnark. 
Mis-see-quaw-kaw,  or  Hairy  Neck,  his  x  mark. 
Waw-pee-shaw-kaw,  or  White  Skin,  his  x  mark. 
Mash-shen-waw-pee-teh,  or  Broken  Tooth,  his  x  mark. 
Nau-nah-que-kee-she-ko,  or  Between  Two  Days,  his  x  mark. 
Paw-puck-ka-kaw,  or  Stealing  Fox,  his  x  mark. 
Tay-e-sheek,  or  the  Falling  Bear,  his  x  mark. 
Wau-pee-maw-ker,  or  the  White  Loon,  his  x  mark. 
Wau-co-see-nee-me,  or  Fox  Man,  his  x  mark. 

u  In  presence  of  R.  Bache,  Cap.  Ord.  Sec.  to  the  Commis 
sion  ;  Abrm.  Eustis  5  Alex.  Cummings,  Lt.  Col.  2d  Infantry; 
Alex.  R.  Thompson,  Major  U.  S.  Army ;  B.  Riley,  Major 
U.  S.  Army;  H.  Dodge,  Major;  W.  Campbell;  Hy.  Wilson, 
Major  4th  U.  S.  Infantry;  Donald  Ward;  Thos.  Black 
Wolf;  Sexton  G.  Frazer;  P.  H.  Gait,  Ast.  Adj.  Gen.;  Benj. 
F.  Pike;  Wm.  Henry;  James  Craig;  John  Aukeney  ;  J.  B. 
F.  Russell;  Isaac  Chambers;  John  Clitz,  Adj.  Inf.  John 
Pickell,  Lieut.  4th  Arty.;  A.  G.  Miller,  Lt.  ist  Inf.;  Geo. 
Davenport,  Asst.  Q.  Mas.  Gen.  111.  mil.;  A.  Drane,  ^neas 
Mackay,  Capt.  U.  S.  Army;  I.  R.  Smith,  ist  Lt.  id  Inf.  ; 
Wm.  Maynadier,  Lt.  and  A.  D.  C.;  I.  L.  Gallagher,  ist  Lt. 
A.  C.  S.;  N.  B.  Bennet,  Lt.  3d  Arty.;  Horatio  A.  Wilson, 
Lt.  4th  Arty.;  H.  Day,  Lt.  2d  Inf.;  Jas.  W.  Penrose,  Lt. 
2d  Infy.;  J.  E.  Johnston,  Lt.  4th  Arty.;  S.  Burbank,  Lt.  ist 
Infy.;  I.  H.  Prentiss,  Lt.  ist  Arty.;  L.  I.  Beale,  Lt.  ist 
Infy.;  Addison  Philleo  ;  Thomas  L.  Alexander,  Lt.  6th  Infy. ; 
Horace  Beale,  Actg.  Surg.  U.  S.  Army;  Oliver  W.  Kellogg; 
Jona.  Leighton,  Actg.  Surg.  U.  S.  Army  ;  Robt.  C.  Buchanan, 
Lt.  4th  Infy.;  Jas.  S.  Williams,  Lt.  6th  Infy.;  John  W. 
Spencer;  Antoine  Le  Claire,  Interpreter. 

"  Now  therefore,  be  it  known,  that  I,  Andrew  Jackson, 
President  of  the  United  States  of  America,  having  seen  and 
considered  said  Treaty,  do,  by  and  with  the  advice  and  con 
sent  of  the  Senate,  as  expressed  by  their  Resolution  of  the 
ninth  instant,  accept,  ratify  and  confirm  the  same  and  every 
clause  and  article  thereof. 


APPENDIX  191 

"In  testimony  whereof,  I  have  caused  the  seal  of  the 
United  States  to  be  hereunto  affixed,  having  signed  the  same 
with  my  hand. 

"  Done  at  the  City  of  Washington,  this  thirteenth  day  of 
February  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  thirty-three,  and  of  the  Independence  of  the  United 
States  the  fifty-seventh. 

"ANDREW  JACKSON. 

"  By  the  President : 

"  Edw.  Livingston,  Secretary  of  State.  " 

NOTE   8. 

"Articles  of  a  treaty  made  at  St.  Louis,  in  the  district  of 
Lousiana,  between  William  Henry  Harrison,  Governor  of  the 
Indiana  Territory  and  of  the  District  of  Louisiana,  Super 
intendent  of  Indian  affairs  for  the  Territory  and  District,  and 
Commissioner  Plenipotentiary  of  the  United  States,  for  con 
cluding  any  treaty  or  treaties  which  may  be  found  necessary, 
with  any  of  the  north-western  tribes  of  Indians,  of  the  one 
part,  and  the  chiefs  and  head  men  of  the  united  Sac  and  Fox 
tribes  of  Indians  of  the  other  part. 

"ART.  I.  The  United  States  receive  the  United  Sac  and 
Fox  tribes  into  their  friendship  and  protection,  and  the  said 
tribes  agree  to  consider  themselves  under  the  protection  of  the 
United  States,  and  no  other  power  whatsoever. 

"ART.  II.  The  general  boundary  line  between  the  lands 
of  the  United  States  and  of  the  said  Indian  tribes,  shall  be  as 
follows,  to  wit :  Beginning  on  a  point  on  the  Missouri  river, 
opposite  to  the  mouth  of  the  Gasconade  river,  thence  in  a 
direct  course,  so  as  to  strike  the  river  Jefferson  at  a  distance 
of  thirty  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  down  the  said  Jefferson,  to 
the  Mississippi,  thence  up  the  Mississippi,  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Ouisconsin  river,  and  up  the  same,  to  a  point  which  shall  be 
thirty-six  miles  in  a  direct  line  from  the  mouth  of  said  river  ; 
thence  by  a  direct  line  to  a  point  where  the  Fox  river,  a  branch 
of  the  Illinois,  leaves  the  small  lake  called  Lakacgan ;  thence 
down  the  Fox  river,  to  the  Illinois  river,  and  down  the  same 
to  the  Mississippi.  And  the  said  tribes,  for  and  in  consider 
ation  of  the  friendship  and  protection  of  the  United  States, 


i92  APPENDIX 

which  is  now  extended  to  them,  and  of  goods  to  the  value  of 
two  thousand  two  hundred  and  thirty-four  dollars  and  fifty 
cents,  which  are  now  delivered,  and  of  the  annuity  hereinafter 
stipulated  to  be  paid,  do  hereby  cede  and  relinquish  forever  to 
the  United  States,  all  the  lands  included  within  the  above 
described  boundary. 

"  ART.  III.  In  consideration  of  the  cession  and  relinquish- 
ment  of  land  made  in  the  preceding  article,  the  United  States 
will  deliver  to  the  said  tribes,  at  the  town  of  St.  Louis,  or  some 
other  convenient  place  on  the  Mississippi,  yearly  and  every 
year,  goods  suited  to  the  circumstances  of  the  Indians,  of  the 
value  of  one  thousand  dollars,  six  hundred  of  which  are  intended 
for  the  Sacs  and  four  hundred  for  the  Foxes,  reckoning  that 
value  at  the  first  cost  of  the  goods  in  the  city  or  place  in  the 
United  States,  where  they  shall  be  procured ;  and  if  the  said 
tribes  shall  hereafter,  at  an  annual  delivery  of  the  goods  afore 
said,  desire  that  a  part  of  their  annuity  should  be  furnished  in 
domestic  animals,  implements  of  husbandry,  and  other  utensals 
(utensils)  convenient  for  them,  or  in  compensation  to  useful 
artificers  who  may  reside  with  or  near  them,  and  be  employed 
for  their  benefit ;  the  same  shall,  at  the  subsequent  annual 
delivery,  be  furnished  accordingly. 

"ART.  IV.  The  United  States  will  never  interrupt  the 
said  tribes  in  the  possession  of  the  lands  which  they  rightfully 
claim  ;  but  will,  on  the  contrary,  protect  them  in  the  quiet 
enjoyment  of  the  same  against  their  own  citizens,  and  against 
all  other  white  persons  who  may  intrude  upon  them  ;  and  the 
said  tribes  do  hereby  engage  that  they  will  never  sell  their 
lands  or  any  part  thereof,  to  any  sovereign  power  but  the 
United  States,  nor  to  the  citizens  or  subjects  of  any  other 
sovereign  power,  nor  to  the  citizens  of  the  United  States. 

"ART.  V.  Lest  the  friendship  which  is  now  established 
between  the  United  States  and  the  said  Indian  tribes  should  be 
interrupted  by  the  misconduct  of  individuals,  it  is  hereby 
agreed,  that  for  injuries  done  by  individuals,  no  private  revenge 
or  retaliation  shall  take  place,  but  instead  thereof,  complaints 
shall  be  made  by  the  party  injured  to  the  other,  by  the  said 
tribes,  or  either  of  them,  to  the  superintendent  of  Indian 
affairs,  or  one  of  his  deputies,  and  by  the  superintendent  or 


APPENDIX  193 

other  person  appointed  by  the  president,  to  the  chiefs  of  the 
said  tribes ;  and  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  said  chiefs,  upon 
complaint  being  made  as  aforesaid,  to  deliver  up  the  person  or 
persons  against  whom  the  complaint  is  made,  to  the  end  that 
he  or  they  may  be  punished  agreeably  to  the  laws  of  the  State 
or  Territory  where  the  offence  may  have  been  committed;  and 
in  like  manner,  if  any  robbery,  violence,  or  murder  shall  be 
committed  on  any  Indian  or  Indians  belonging  to  said  tribes, 
or  either  of  them,  the  person  or  persons  so  offending,  shall  be 
tried,  and  if  found  guilty,  shall  be  punished  in  like  manner,  as 
if  the  injury  had  been  done  to  a  white  man  ;  and  it  is  further 
agreed,  that  the  chiefs  of  the  said  tribes,  shall,  to  the  utmost 
of  their  power,  exert  themselves  to  recover  horses  or  other 
property  which  may  be  stolen  from  any  citizen  or  citizens  of 
the  United  States,  by  any  individual  or  individuals  of  their 
tribes ;  and  the  property  so  recovered,  shall  be  forthwith 
delivered  to  the  superintendent,  or  other  person  authorized  to 
receive  it,  that  it  may  be  restored  to  the  owner,  and  in  cases 
where  the  exertions  of  the  chiefs  shall  be  ineffectual  in 
recovering  the  property  stolen  as  aforesaid,  if  sufficient  proof 
can  be  obtained  that  such  property  was  actually  stolen  by  any 
Indian  or  Indians  belonging  to  the  said  tribes,  or  either  of 
them,  the  United  States  may  deduct  from  the  annuity  of  the 
said  tribes,  a  sum  equal  to  the  value  of  the  property  which  has 
been  stolen,  and  the  United  States  hereby  guaranty  to  any 
Indian  or  Indians  of  the  said  tribes,  a  full  indemnification  for 
any  horses  or  other  property  which  may  be  stolen  from  them, 
by  any  of  their  citizens ;  provided  the  property  so  stolen 
cannot  be  recovered,  and  that  a  sufficient  proof  is  produced 
that  it  was  actually  stolen  by  a  citizen  of  the  United  States. 

"ART.  VI.  If  any  citizen  of  theUnited  States,  or  other  white 
person,  should  form  a  settlement  upon  lands  which  are  the  prop 
erty  of  the  Sac  and  Fox  tribes,  upon  complaint  being  made  there 
of  to  the  superintendent,  or  other  person  having  charge  of  the 
affairs  of  the  Indians,  such  intruder  shall  forthwith  be  removed. 

"ART.  VII.  As  long  as  the  lands  which  are  now  ceded 
to  the  United  States  remain  their  property,  the  Indians  belong 
ing  to  the  said  tribes  shall  enjoy  the  privilege  of  living  and 
hunting  upon  them. 


i94  APPENDIX 

"ART.  VIII.  As  the  laws  of  the  United  States  regulating 
trade  and  intercourse  with  the  Indian  tribes  are  already 
extended  to  the  country  inhabited  by  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  and 
as  it  is  provided  by  those  laws,  that  no  person  shall  reside  as 
a  trader  in  the  Indian  country,  without  a  license  under  the 
hand  and  seal  of  the  superintendent  of  Indian  affairs ;  or  other 
person  appointed  for  the  purpose  by  the  President,  the  said 
tribes  do  promise  and  agree  that  they  will  not  suffer  any  trader 
to  reside  amongst  them  without  such  license,  and  that  they 
will  from  time  to  time  give  notice  to  the  superintendent,  or  to 
the  agent  for  their  tribes,  of  all  the  traders  that  may  be  in 
their  country. 

"ART.  IX.  In  order  to  put  a  stop  to  the  abuses  and 
impositions  which  are  practiced  upon  the  said  tribes  by  the 
private  traders,  the  United  States  will,  at  a  convenient  time, 
establish  a  trading  house  or  factory,  where  the  individuals  of 
said  tribes  can  be  supplied  with  goods  at  a  more  reasonable 
rate  than  they  have  been  accustomed  to  procure  them. 

"  ART.  X.  In  order  to  evince  the  sincerity  of  their  friend 
ship  and  affection  for  the  United  States,  and  a  respectful 
deference  for  their  advice,  by  an  act  which  will  not  only  be 
acceptable  to  them,  but  to  the  common  Father  of  all  nations 
of  the  earth,  the  said  tribes  do  hereby  solemnly  promise  and 
agree,  that  they  will  put  an  end  to  the  bloody  war  which 
has  heretofore  raged  between  their  tribes  and  those  of  the 
Great  and  Little  Osages ;  and  for  the  purpose  of  burying  the 
tomahawk,  and  renewing  the  friendly  intercourse  between 
themselves  and  the  Osages,  a  meeting  of  their  respective 
chiefs  shall  take  place,  at  which,  under  the  direction  of  the 
above  named  commissioner,  or  the  agent  of  Indian  affairs, 
residing  at  St.  Louis,  an  adjustment  of  all  their  differences 
shall  be  made,  and  peace  established  upon  a  firm  and  lasting 
basis. 

"  ART.  XI.  As  it  is  probable  that  the  government  of  the 
United  States  will  establish  a  military  post  at  or  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Wisconsin  river ;  and  as  the  land  on  the  lower 
side  of  the  river  may  not  be  suitable  for  that  purpose,  the  said 
tribes  hereby  agree  that  a  fort  may  be  built  either  on  the 
upper  side  of  the  Wisconsin,  or  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Mis- 


APPENDIX  195 

sissippi,  as  the  one  or  the  other  may  be  found  most  convenient, 
and  a  tract  of  land  not  exceeding  two  miles  square  shall  be 
given  for  that  purpose ;  and  the  said  tribes  do  further  agree 
that  they  will,  at  all  times,  allow  to  traders  and  other  per 
sons  traveling  thro'  their  country,  under  the  authority  of  the 
United  States,  a  free  and  safe  passage  for  themselves  and  their 
property  of  every  description,  and  that  for  such  passage  they 
shall  at  no  time,  and  on  no  account  whatever,  be  subject  to 
any  toll  or  exaction. 

"  ART.  XII.  This  treaty  shall  take  effect,  and  be  obliga 
tory  on  the  contracting  parties,  as  soon  as  the  same  shall  have 
been  ratified  by  the  President,  by  and  with  the  advice  and  con 
sent  of  the  Senate  of  the  United  States. 

"  ADDITIONAL  ARTICLE.  It  is  agreed  that  nothing 
in  this  treaty  contained  shall  affect  the  claim  of  any  individual 
or  individuals,  who  may  have  obtained  grants  of  land  from  the 
Spanish  government ;  and  which  are  not  included  within  the 
general  boundary  line  laid  down  in  this  treaty,  provided  that 
such  grants  have  at  any  time  been  made  known  to  the  said 
tribes  and  recognized  by  them." 

Ratified  the  25th  of  February,  1805. 

Recognitions  of  the  preceding  Treaty  which  was  held  at 
St.  Louis  1 3th  May,  1816. 

Treaty  with  the  Sacs  of  Rock  River  and  the  United  States, 
by  William  Clark,  Ninian  Edwards  and  Auguste  Chouteau. 

[This  appears  to  be  a  Treaty  of  amity,  but  the  following 
article  is  considered  proper  to  be  inserted.] 

"  ART.  I.  The  Sacs  of  Rock  River,  and  the  adjacent 
country,  do  hereby  unconditionally  assent  to,  recognize, 
re-establish,  and  confirm  the  treaty  between  the  United  States 
of  America  and  the  united  tribes  of  Sacs  and  Foxes,  which 
was  concluded  at  St.  Louis,  on  the  3d  of  November,  1804, 
as  well  as  all  other  contracts  and  agreements  heretofore  made 
between  the  Sac  tribe  or  nation  and  the  United  States." 

NOTE  9. 

"Treaty  with  the  Sacs  residing  on  Missouri  river,  by 
William  Clark,  Ninian  Edwards  and  Auguste  Chouteau,  at 
Portage  de  Sioux,  I3th  Sept.,  1815." 


196  APPENDIX 

"  ART.  I.  The  undersigned  chiefs  and  warriors,  for 
themselves,  and  that  portion  of  the  Sacs  which  they  represent, 
do  hereby  assent  to  the  treaty  between  the  United  States  of 
America,  and  the  United  tribes  of  Sacs  and  Foxes,  which  was 
concluded  at  St.  Louis,  on  the  3d  of  November,  1804,  and 
they  moreover  promise  to  do  all  in  their  power  to  re-establish 
and  enforce  the  same. " 

"  Treaty  with  the  Fox  tribe,  by  William  Clark,  Ninian 
Edwards,  and  Auguste  Chouteau. 

"  ART.  IV.  The  Fox  tribe  or  nation  do  hereby  assent 
to,  recognize,  re-establish  and  confirm,  the  treaty  of  St. 
Louis,  concluded  on  the  3d  of  November,  1804,  to  the  full 
extent  of  their  interest  in  the  same,  as  well  as  all  other  con 
tracts  and  agreements  between  the  parties ;  and  the  United 
States  promise  to  fulfil  all  the  stipulations  contained  in  the 
said  treaty  in  favour  of  the  Fox  tribe  or  nation." 

"  Treaty  with  the  Sac  and  Fox  tribes  of  Indians,  concluded 
at  the  City  of  Washington,  the  4th  of  August,  1824. 

"  To  perpetuate  peace  and  friendship  between  the  United 
States  and  the  Sac  and  Fox  tribes  or  nations  of  Indians,  and 
to  remove  all  future  cause  of  dissensions  which  may  arise  from 
undefined  territorial  boundaries,  the  President  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  by  Wm.  Clark,  Superintendent  of  Indian 
affairs,  and  sole  commissioner,  specially  appointed  for  that 
purpose,  of  the  one  part,  and  the  undersigned  chiefs  and  head 
men  of  the  Sac  and  Fox  tribes  or  nations  fully  deputized  to 
act  for  and  in  behalf  of  their  said  nations  of  the  other  part, 
have  entered  into  the  following  articles  and  conditions,  viz. 

"ART.  I.  The  Sac  and  Fox  tribes  or  nations  of  Indians, 
by  their  deputations  in  council  assembled,  do  hereby  agree,  in 
consideration  of  certain  sums  of  moneys,  &c.,  to  be  paid  to 
the  said  Sac  and  Fox  tribes,by  the  government  of  the  U.  States, 
as  hereinafter  stipulated,  to  cede  and  forever  quit  claim,  and 
do,  in  behalf  of  their  said  tribes  or  nations,  hereby  cede,  relin 
quish,  and  forever  quit  claim  unto  the  United  States,  all  right, 
title,  interest,  and  claim  to  the  lands  which  the  said  Sac  and 
Fox  tribes  have  or  claim  within  the  limits  of  the  State  of  Mis 
souri,  which  are  situated,  lying  and  being,  between  the  Missis 
sippi  and  Missouri  rivers,  and  a  line  running  from  the  Missouri 


APPENDIX  197 

at  the  entrance  of  the  Kansas  river,  north  one  hundred  miles 
to  the  north-west  corner  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  and  from 
thence  east  of  the  Mississippi.  It  being  understood,  that  the 
small  tract  of  land  lying  between  the  rivers  Des  Moine  and 
the  Mississippi,  and  the  section  of  the  above  line  between  the 
Mississippi  and  the  Des  Moine  is  intended  for  the  use  of  the 
half  breeds  belonging  to  the  Sac  and  Fox  nations  ;  they  hold 
ing  it,  however,  by  the  same  title,  and  in  the  same  manner 
that  other  Indian  titles  are  held. 

"ART.  II.  The  chiefs  and  head  men  who  signed  this 
convention,  for  themselves  and  in  behalf  of  their  tribes,  do 
acknowledge  the  lands  east  and  south  of  the  lines  described 
in  the  first  article,  so  far  as  the  Indians  claimed  the  same,  to 
belong  to  the  United  States,  and  that  none  of  their  tribes  shall 
be  permitted  to  settle  or  hunt  upon  any  part  of  it,  after  the 
first  day  of  January,  1826,  without  special  permission  from 
the  Superintendent  of  Indian  affairs. 

"ART.  III.  It  is  hereby  stipulated  and  agreed  on  the 
part  of  the  United  States,  as  a  full  consideration  for  the  claims 
and  lands  ceded  by  the  Sac  and  Fox  tribes  in  the  first  article, 
there  shall  be  paid  to  the  Sac  and  Fox  nations  within  the 
present  year,  one  thousand  dollars  in  cash  or  merchandise ; 
and,  in  addition  to  the  annuities  stipulated  to  be  paid  to  the 
Sac  and  Fox  tribes,  by  a  former  treaty,  the  United  States  do 
agree  to  pay  to  the  said  Sac  tribe,  five  hundred  dollars,  and  to 
the  Fox  tribe  five  hundred  dollars,  annually,  for  the  term  of 
ten  succeeding  years ;  and  at  the  request  of  the  chiefs  of  the 
said  Sac  and  Fox  nations,  the  commissioner  agrees  to  pay  to 
Maurice  Blondeau,  a  half  breed  Indian  of  the  Fox  tribe,  the 
sum  of  five  hundred  dollars,  it  being  a  debt  due  by  the  said 
nation,  to  the  aforesaid  Blondeau  for  property  taken  from  him 
during  the  late  war. 

"  ART.  IV.  The  United  States  engage  to  provide  and 
support  a  blacksmith  for  the  Sac  and  Fox  nations,  so  long  as 
the  President  of  the  United  States  may  think  proper,  and  to 
furnish  the  said  nations  with  such  farming  utensils,  and  cattle, 
and  to  employ  such  persons  to  aid  them  in  their  agriculture,  as 
the  President  may  deem  expedient. 

u  ART.  V.     The  annuities  stipulated  by  the  third  article 


198  .     APPENDIX 

are  to  be  paid  either  in  money,  merchandise,  provisions,  or 
domestic  animals,  at  the  option  of  the  aforesaid  tribes,  and 
when  the  annuities,  or  part  thereof  is  paid  in  merchandise,  it 
is  to  be  delivered  to  them  at  the  first  cost  of  the  goods  at  St. 
Louis,  free  from  cost  of  transportation. 

"  ART.  VI.  This  treaty  shall  take  effect  and  be  obliga 
tory  upon  the  contracting  parties  so  soon  as  the  same  shall  be 
ratified  by  the  President  of  the  United  States,  by  and  with  the 
advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate  thereof. 

"  Ratified  the  i8th  of  January,  1825." 


EDITOR'S  APPENDIX 


The  original  text  has  been  followed  herein,  faithfully, 
with  two  or  three  exceptional  typographical  errors  of 
so  glaring  a  nature  that  their  correction  was  made 
imperative,  and  with  the  further  exceptional  alterations 
demanded  by  the  seven  lines  of  Wakefield's  "Errata," 
which  close  his  narrative,  and  which  have  been  omitted 
herein. 

The  type  used  in  printing  the  book  was  found  to  be 
so  excessively  small  that  reading  it  placed  a  heavy  tax 
upon  the  eyes,  and  for  that  reason  the  present  volume 
has  been  printed  from  type  large  enough  to  be  easily 
read.  This  very  much  needed  enlargement  has  nec 
essarily  changed  the  pagination. 

In  some  instances  where  Wakefield  could  not  recall 
initials  or  Christian  names,  he  supplied  the  omission 
with  dashes,  thus  :-  — .  In  a  very  few  other  instan 
ces  he  made  errors  in  names.  These  have  been  supplied 
or  corrected  in  the  text  between  brackets,  thus :  []. 
In  other  instances  where  surnames  alone  were  given, 
the  Christian  names  have  been  supplied  in  the  notes 
and  index. 

The  same  may  be  said  of  some  dates.  In  one  or  two 
such  cases,  where  the  proper  name  was  not  available  to 
the  editor  until  a  very  late  moment,  the  index  alone 
has  been  made  to  supply  the  correction.  But  it  has 
been  supplied.  In  two  or  three  instances,  brief  ex 
planations  of  names  or  events  served  a  much  better 
purpose  by  being  placed  in  the  index  alone. 

[199] 


200         EDITOR'S    APPENDIX 


NOTES. 

NOTE   i.— Stevens' s  "The  Black  Hawk  War,"  73  etseq. 

The  same  Captain  Lindsey  mentioned  on  page  124  hereafter. 

Movements  of  the  militia  from  eastern  Illinois  are  mentioned  fully  in  the  paper  by 
Hon.  H.  W.  Beckwith,  number  ten  (10)  Fergus  Historical  Series,  page  47  et  seq. 

From  Sangamon  and  Morgan  counties  in  Illinois,  a  regiment  of  mounted  volunteers, 
under  command  of  Colonel  Thomas  M.  Neale  of  Springfield,  marched  to  Galena  ;  but 
when  that  point  had  been  reached,  Red  Bird,  the  moving  spirit  in  the  uprising,  had 
surrendered  and  the  regiment  saw  no  service.  Its  movements,  however,  are  to  be  found 
in  an  article  written  by  Hon.  William  Thomas  of  Jacksonville,  and  published  in  the 
Jacksonville  Journal  of  August  17,  1871. 

The  reason  for  the  Winnebago  War,  so  frequently  attributed  to  brutality  to  certain 
squaws,  by  the  whites,  has  not  a  shadow  of  foundation  in  fact. 

NOTE  2. — The  losses  were  two  whites  killed  and  four  wounded,  two  mortally  and 
two  slightly. 

Reports  of  losses  by  the  Indians  vary  from  seven  to  twelve  killed,  and  many  wounded. 

NOTE  3. — Governor  Cass  was  not  present  as  intimated. 

NOTE  4. — The  number  of  men  employed  in  the  expedition  was  600  regulars 
under  General  Henry  Atkinson  and  about  1 30  militia  from  the  lead  mines  under  Captain 
Henry  Dodge. 

Samuel  Whiteside,  who  was  present  at  Galena  at  the  time  of  the  trouble,  took  com 
mand  of  another  company  of  about  the  same  strength  as  Dodge's  company,  and  marched 
or  ranged  through  the  country  to  the  north,  emerging  at  Prairie  du  Chien. 

A  dispute  had  arisen  as  to  whether  Whiteside  or  Dodge  should  be  given  command  of 
the  militia,  which  was  settled  by  giving  each  a  company. 

James  M.  Strode  was  captain  of  a  company  which  remained  at  Galena  doing  guard 
duty. 

NOTE  5. — Major  Nathaniel  Buckmaster,  youngest  child  of  a  family  of  eight  children, 
son  of  Nathaniel  and  Ann  (Ward)  Buckmaster,  was  born  May  I,  1787,  in  Calvert 
County,  Maryland,  on  a  plantation  owned  by  his  parents,  that  extended  to  the  shores  of 
the  Chesapeake  Bay. 

In  1796  the  family  moved  to  Frederick  County,  Virginia,  on  a  farm  about  30  miles 
from  Charlestown. 

In  the  year  1803  Nathaniel,  then  16  years  old,  went  to  a  place  seven  miles  from 
Harper's  Ferry,  to  live  with  his  sister,  Catherine  Anderson,  where  he  learned  the  trade 
of  brick  and  stone  mason. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1818,  clad  in  knee-breeches,  ruffled  shirt,  high  stock, 
with  shoes  ornamented  with  great  silver  buckles,  Nathaniel  Buckmaster  came  to 
Edwardsville,  Illinois,  to  seek  his  fortune,  and  verily,  fortune  seemed  to  be  awaiting 
his  arrival,  for  he  was  elected  to  represent  Madison  County  in  the  Second  General 
Assembly,  which  met  at  Vandalia,  December  4,  1820. 

In  the  year  1823  we  find  him  sheriff"  of  Madison  County,  which  office  he  held  for 
so  long  (in  1838  he  was  still  in  office)  that  finding  no  other  means  open  to  them 
to  get  him  out  of  the  office,  rhe  Whigs  pushed  through  a  constitutional  amendment 
prohibiting  a  tenure  of  more  than  one  term. 

In  1832  he  married,  in  Edwardsville,  Miss  Harriet  Bartling,  from  which  marriage 
four  children  were  born,  Virginia,  Henry,  Catherine,  and  Ellen. 


EDITOR'S     APPENDIX         201 

The  Black  Hawk  War  coming  on  in  April  of  that  year,  he  enlisted  early,  and  was 
second  in  command  of  the  army,  with  the  title  Brigade  Major.  His  record  as  major 
of  a  spy  battalion  in  the  campaign  of  1831  against  the  same  Indian  had  much  to  do 
with  his  advanced  rank  in  this  second  campaign,  and  in  his  various  books  the  "Old 
Ranger  Governor"  was  fond  of  referring  to  "  Buck,"  as  he  called  him,  as  one  of  the 
few  men  who  stuck  to  his  colors  from  the  first  day  of  the  first  campaign  to  the  last 
day  of  the  last  campaign.  At  the  mouth  of  Fox  River  when  the  first  levy,  of  troops 
was  mustered  out,  it  was  he  who  performed  the  function  with  the  aid  of  Lieutenant 
Robert  Anderson,  of  Fort  Sumter  memory,  and  he  was  the  first  to  re- enlist. 

As  the  departure  of  the  troops  for  their  homes  left  the  frontiers  entirely  unprotected, 
he  was  made  major  of  a  battalion  of  spies,  and,  stationed  at  Fort  Payne  (now  Naper- 
ville,  Illinois) ,  he  cleared  the  country  of  every  hostile  Indian  between  Chicago  and  Ottawa. 

In  1839-40  we  find  him  Postmaster  of  Alton,  and  soon  after  he  was  made  warden 
of  the  penitentiary  there,  then  a  position  of  high  importance.  He  remained  at  Alton 
to  the  end  of  his  life. 

In  the  same  year,  1840,  his  wife  died  at  Alton,  on  the  spot  where  stands  the  present 
depot  of  the  C.  &  A.  R.  R.  Co.,  and  it  is  recorded  of  him  as  a  remarkable  incident 
for  those  days,  that  he  never  remarried. 

In  1844,  having  for  a  long  time  interested  himself  in  public  transportation  problems 
and  ventures,  he  obtained  the  franchise  for  operating  the  "  upper  ferry,"  which  he 
held  during  his  lifetime,  and  after  death  it  passed  to  his  heirs. 

On  June  4,  1855,  ^e  died  at  his  home,  and  was  buried  beside  his  wife  in  the 
Upper  Alton  cemetery.  Major  Buckmaster  was  essentially  a  business  man.  Trans 
portation  problems  engaged  most  ot  his  attention,  either  as  the  owner  of  ferries  or 
builder  of  turnpikes  and  railroads,  and  for  his  enterprise,  the  State  of  Illinois  is  under 
lasting  obligation. 

We  find  him  an  incorporator  of  The  Alton  and  Shawneetown  Railroad  Company, 
The  Madison  Railroad  Company,  and  The  Illinois  and  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  in 
which  Lyman  Trumbull  cooperated.  He  was  president  of  The  Alton  Marine  and 
Fire  Insurance  Company,  as  well  as  of  the  company  which  built  the  first  plank  road  in 
Madison  County. 

As  a  builder  he  was  famous,  as  many  of  the  old-time  Edwards  County  buildings, 
public  and  private,  testify  to  this  day.  The  old  first  brick  jail  and  the  hotel  at  Alton 
are  of  the  number. 

As  sheriff  of  his  county,  he  showed  the  goodness  of  his  nature. 

A  part  of  his  duty  was  to  sell  the  lands  of  his  county  for  delinquent  taxes,  which 
many  persons  who  lost  their  money  in  the  panic  of  1 8  37  were  unable  to  pay.  To  them 
he  opened  his  purse,  saving  their  farms  at  an  inconvenience  almost  calamitous  to  his  own 
business  interests.  This  explains,  to  a  large  degree,  the  inability  of  the  Whigs  to  get 
him  out  of  office. 

In  personal  appearance  he  was  an  unusually  handsome  man,  well  dressed,  with  a 
fine  physique  and  carriage,  six  feet  tall,  and  to  his  last  days  active. 

In  politics  he  was  a  Jackson  Democrat.  In  religion  he  was  reared  a  Methodist, 
and  during  his  business  activities,  he  was  never  so  busy  as  to  be  unable  to  pursue  a  close 
study  of  the  bible. 

NOTE  6. — Brigadier  General  Samuel  Whiteside.  The  Whiteside  family,  a  very  nu 
merous  one,  was  among  the  first  to  settle  permanently  on  Illinois  soil.  In  the  year 
1793,  William  and  John,  brothers,  and  both  soldiers  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  settled 
in  what  is  now  Monroe  County,  on  the  road  between  Cahokia  and  Kaskaskia,  about 
half-way  between  the  present  towns  of  Waterloo  and  Columbia.  There  William  built 
a  log  fort,  which  became  widely  known  as  Whiteside' s  station. 

In  the  year  1802  John,  the  father  of  Samuel  Whiteside,  moved  to  the  Goshen 
settlement  in  Madison  County  and  settled  near  Samuel  Judy,  whose  wife  was  a  sister 


202         EDITOR'S   APPENDIX 

to  Samuel  Whiteside.  The  latter,  with  his  brother  Joel,  afterward  settled  in  the  north 
east  part  of  the  present  township  of  Collinsville,  and  there  Samuel  made  the  first 
improvements  on  the  Ridge  prairie. 

Samuel  Whiteside  was  born  in  the  State  of  North  Carolina  in  the  year  1783,  and 
there  remained  with  his  rather  until  the  latter  came  to  Illinois  ten  years  later. 

According  to  his  grandson,  J.  D.  Henderson,  Samuel  Whiteside  married  Nancy 
Miller  just  before  moving  to  Madison  County,  which  must  have  been  in  his  twentieth 
year  if  true.  But  early  marriages  were  characteristic  of  the  young  pioneer  of  those  days, 
who  so  much  needed  a  helpmeet  to  begin  work  at  his  "  clearing."  In  Madison 
County,  Samuel  Whiteside  lived  until  the  last  of  his  children  had  married,  and  his 
wife  died  in  March,  1854.  At  that  time,  with  his  daughter  Mrs.  Henderson  and 
her  husband,  he  moved  to  a  farm  in  Christian  County,  near  Mt.  Auburn,  and  there 
lived  until  his  death,  in  June,  1866.  He  is  buried  in  what  is  known  as  the  "  Old 
Hunter  Cemetery." 

During  the  Indian  troubles  of  1 8 10,  Samuel  Whiteside,  in  command  of  a  company  of 
rangers,  was  almost  constantly  in  the  saddle.  During  that  period,  it  was  a  common 
occurrence  when  tidings  of  a  murder  were  received,  to  rendezvous  at  the  nearest  fort, 
organize  a  company  and  start  in  hasty  pursuit  of  the  murderers.  It  was  customary 
to  elect  a  captain  and  subordinate  officers,  and  when  the  offenders  had  been  brought 
to  justice  or  escaped  to  other  states,  to  disband.  Hence  it  is  that  we  see  the  name 
of  Samuel  Whiteside  so  many  times  in  the  early  annals  as  captain  of  a  company. 
By  common  consent,  he  became  the  leader  in  every  important  Indian  pursuit  or  fight. 
Thus  the  War  of  1812  with  England  coming  closely  upon  the  heels  of  the  contin 
ued  Indian  disturbances,  Samuel  Whiteside  was  almost  the  first  man  to  be  appointed 
captain  of  a  company  of  militia  by  Governor  Edwards.  In  Campbell's  notable  battle 
just  oft  Campbell's  Island,  near  the  present  city  of  Moline,  the  company  of  Captain 
Samuel  Whiteside  took  conspicuous  part.  The  battle,  which  was  fought  from  keel 
boats  by  the  militia  against  the  overwhelming  land  forces  of  British  and  Indians,  among 
which  Black  Hawk  was  a  conspicuous  figure,  was  a  bloody  one,  and  well  worth  study 
by  the  student  of  Illinois  history. 

When  peaceful  times  were  restored,  Samuel  Whiteside  turned  to  peaceful  pursuits, 
and  though  nominally  a  farmer,  much  of  his  time  was  occupied  with  surveying  large 
areas,  two  instances  being  the  boundaries  of  the  states  of  Illinois  and  Missouri. 

When,  in  1831,  it  became  necessary  for  Governor  Reynolds  to  send  troops  to  the 
mouth  of  Rock  River  to  drive  Black  Hawk  and  his  band  across  the  Mississippi  River, 
General  Whiteside  was  appointed  major  of  a  spy  battalion. 

That  campaign  was  so  successful,  that  when  it  became  necessary  in  the  following 
year  for  Governor  Reynolds  to  pursue  the  wily  Sac  again  and  with  larger  forces,  atten 
tion  was  naturally  attracted  to  Samuel  Whiteside,  and  the  Governor  appointed  him 
Brigadier  General  and  commander  of  all  the  state  forces. 

Though  but  five  feet  tall,  it  has  been  said  of  him  that  he  contained  more  "  fight" 
than  a  battalion  of  the  average  raw  militia.  He  knew  not  fear  or  danger.  At  the 
village  of  Kapas,  the  Pottawattomie  Indian,  where  the  duty  was  put  upon  him  to  decide 
whether  the  troops  should  be  mustered  out  or  forced  to  continue  the  pursuit  of  Black 
Hawk  up  into  Wisconsin,  he  mounted  a  whisky-barrel  and  declared  that  with  one 
hundred  men  he  would  fight  and  whip  Black  Hawk  ;  but  with  an  army  of  cowards 
he  would  have  nothing  whatever  to  do,  and  he  voted  to  send  the  levy  of  troops  back 
home  again.  In  his  harangue,  which  has  been  only  partially  preserved,  Colonel  Zachary 
Taylor  ably  seconded  him,  from  the  head  of  the  same  whisky-barrel. 

General  Whiteside  knew  nothing  of  politics,  and  for  that  reason  never  secured 
office  or  aspired  to  it. 

When  at  the  mouth  of  Fox  River,  the  troops  had  been  mustered  out  by  Major 
Buckmaster  and  Lieutenant  Robert  Anderson,  it  was  considered  necessary  to  protect  the 
frontier  with  an  emergency  regiment.  Such  a  regiment  was  recruited  from  the  ranks 


EDITOR'S   APPENDIX         203 

of  the  few  who  were  willing  to  remain,  and  General  Whiteside  enlisted  as  a  private  in 
the  company  of  Captain  Adam  W.  Snyder.  In  Snyder's  battle  at  Kellogg's  Grove, 
a  bullet  from  General  Whiteside's  rifle  killed  the  leader  of  the  Indians  and  terminated 
the  fight  decisively  in  favor  of  the  whites.  He  was  a  dead  shot.  It  may  be  added  that 
Abraham  Lincoln,  who  had  been  a  captain  in  the  first  campaign,  re-enlisted  as  a  pri 
vate  in  the  company  of  Elijah  lies  in  the  same  emergency  regiment. 

Whiteside  County,  Illinois,  was  named  in  honor  of  Gen.  Samuel  Whiteside. 

NOTE  7. — The  orthography  of  foregoing  names  is  incorrect  in  many  instances. 

NOTE  8. — Governor  Reynolds' s  aids  were  James  D.  Henry  and  M.  K.  Alexander. 
Upon  Henry's  resignation,  for  active  service  John  Dement  was  appointed.  Enoch 
C.  March  was  made  Quartermaster  General,  and  William  Thomas  Brigade  Quarter 
master. 

NOTE  9. — The  Indians  had  returned  to  the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi  River  during 
the  previous  night  instead  of  during  the  action,  as  might  be  inferred  herein. 

NOTE  10. — This  affair  is  fully  related  in  correspondence  between  General  Joseph 
M.  Street,  the  agent  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  and  General  William  Clark  of  St.  Louis, 
to  be  found  in  report  of  Secretary  of  War  made  shortly  after  the  affair  was  reported  to 
him. 

Twenty-five  Menominies  were  killed  outright  in  the  attack,  while  many  others 
were  wounded. 

NOTE  II. — Now  Beloit,  Wisconsin. 

NOTE  12. — 'Black  Hawk  in  his  autobiography  was  insistent  that  he  was  going  to 
the  Winnebago  country  by  invitation,  and  for  the  sole  purpose  of  "  making  corn." 

NOTE   1 3 .  — The  author  states  numbers  accurately,  but  magnifies  their  ferocity. 

NOTE  14. — Black  Hawk  was  not  a  chief.  He  was  simply  a  brave  and  leader  of  the 
band  known  as  "the  British  Band"  ;  so  called  by  reason  of  its  adhesion  to  British 
interests.  It  may  be  said  that  its  hatred  of  everything  American  was  more  to  the  point 
than  love  of  British  interest,  because  so  late  as  July  12,  1821,  Captain  T.  G.  An 
derson,  British  Indian  Agent,  rebuked  Black  Hawk  severely  for  his  fault-finding. 

NOTE  15. — It  was  Black  Hawk's  boast  that  he  never  violated  a  neutral  or  flag  of 
truce.  This  is  one  instance  of  violation. 

NOTE   1 6. — This  name  is  generally  spelled  Ne-a-pope,  and  is  pronounced  Naw-pope. 
NOTE   17. — Another  admission  that  the  mission  of  the  band  was  not  of  peace. 

NOTE  1 8. — 'Abraham  B.  DeWitt,  of  Morgan  County.  But  DeWitt  commanded 
the  Third  Regiment. 

NOTE   19. — Jacob  Fry. 

NOTE  20. — John  Thomas  of  St.  Clair  County.  But  Thomas  commanded  the 
First  Regiment. 

NOTE  21. — Oquawka,  Illinois. 


204         EDITOR'S    APPENDIX 

NOTE  22. — For  many  years  it  was  contended  that  the  volunteers,  a  company  ot 
which  was  commanded  by  Captain  Abraham  Lincoln,  were  sworn  into  the  United 
States  service  at  Dixon's  Ferry,  now  Dixon,  Illinois,  by  Lieutenant  Jefferson  Davis, 
then  a  Lieutenant  in  the  regular  establishment  serving  under  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Zachary  Taylor.  But  Wakefield  is  right  as  to  the  place.  The  editor  owns  a  letter 
written  by  Major  Nathaniel  Buckmaster  on  May  9,  1832,  at  the  mouth  of  Rock 
River,  wherein  it  is  specifically  stated  that  General  Atkinson  swore  the  troops  into 
the  service  at  that  point. 

NOTE  23. — The  whites  burned  the  village  on  their  march  up  Rock  River. 

NOTE  24. — Paw  Paw  Grove  was  in  the  southwest  township  of  DeKalb  County 
and  the  southeast  township  of  Lee  County  as  now  defined,  named  respectively  Paw  Paw 
and  Wyoming  townships,  and  not  up  on  the  river  as  indicated.  Near  Paw  Paw  Grove 
was  Sha-bo-na's  village ;  in  the  grove  of  that  name,  now  within  the  township  of 
Shabbona  in  DeKalb  County. 

The  fact  that  Black  Hawk  was  recruiting  from  the  Pottawattomies  at  Paw  Paw 
Grove,  and  that  Sha-bo-na  had  consented  to  a  parley  at  the  mouth  of  Old  Man's  Creek 
in  Ogle  County,  brought  about  this  confusion  in  Wakefield' s  mind. 

NOTE  25. — Within  the  present  boundaries  of  Whiteside  County. 
NOTE  26. — Dixon,  Illinois. 

NOTE  27. — Kellogg' s  Trail,  running  from  Peoria  to  Galena  and  Gratiot's  Grove, 
made  by  O.  W.  Kellogg  in  1827. 

NOTE  28. — Isaiah  Stillman  and  David  Bailey. 

NOTE  29. — Now  Stillman's  Run  in  Ogle  County.  So  called  from  the  "run" 
subsequently  made  by  the  cowardly  volunteers. 

NOTE  30. — Colonel  James  M.  Strode  of  Galena,  Illinois.  A  very  amusing  ac 
count  of  his  actions  at  Stillman's  battle  may  be  found  in  Ford's  History  of  Illinois. 

NOTE  31. — Captain  Abner  Eads,  then  of  Peoria,  later  of  Galena. 
NOTE   32. — Captain  David  W.  Barnes  of  Fulton  County. 

NOTE  33. — "  Major"  was  a  nickname  only.  Isaac  Perkins  was  a  private  in  the 
company  of  Captain  John  G.  Adams. 

NOTE  34. — Tyrus  M.  Childs  was  his  name;  not  Cyrus.  He  was  a  private  in  Cap 
tain  Barnes's  company. 

NOTE  35. — The  author,  who  was  not  present  at  the  fight,  has  adopted  to  a  con 
siderable  extent  the  version  given  in  a  St.  Louis  paper  by  Stillman  soon  after  it 
occurred.  The  encampment  was  just  north  of  the  present  village  of  Stillman  Valley, 
in  Ogle  County,  while  the  thick  of  the  fight  was  on  the  slope  and  at  the  top  of  the 
hill  about  half  a  mile  to  the  south,  upon  whose  summit  the  dead  were  buried.  It 
was  upon  this  eminence,  now  in  the  midst  of  the  village,  that  Captain  John  G.  Adams 
made  his  heroic  stand,  and  there  the  State  of  Illinois  has  recently  erected  a  handsome 
monument  costing  $5,000. 

The  strength  of  the  Indians  was  in  reality  much  under  100  men,  which  when  known 
made  the  retreat  of  the  whites  appear  much  more  cowardly. 


EDITOR'S    APPENDIX         205 

NOTE  36. — When  Reynolds  and  Whiteside,  just  above  the  Prophet's  town,  deter 
mined  to  make  a  forced  march  to  Dixon's  Ferry,  the  wagons  and  provisions  were  stacked 
together  and  left  behind,  after  a  limited  supply  of  rations  was  issued  to  the  troops. 
Small  as  the  issue  may  have  been,  the  famine  which  appeared  later  would  have  been 
avoided  had  it  been  providently  conserved  ;  but  with  profound  contempt  for  everything 
orderly  or  systematic,  the  provisions  were  wantonly  wasted,  and  but  for  the  sacrifice  by 
John  Dixon  of  his  milch  cows,  Reynolds  never  could  have  held  the  men  together  until 
Atkinson  arrived. 

NOTE  37. — Rev.  Reddick  Horn  of  Cass  County. 

NOTE  38. — The  army  reached  a  Pottawattomie  village  on  Sycamore  Creek,  now 
the  left  fork  of  the  Kishwaukee  River,  the  site  of  which  subsequently  became  known 
as  Coltonville,  in  DeKalb  County.  It  was  once  the  county  seat,  but  was  abandoned  and 
is  now  part  of  a  farm  about  a  mile  and  a  half  southwest  of  Sycamore.  There  a  crisis 
arose.  The  troops  were  still  murmuring  as  they  had  been  doing  almost  from  the  day 
they  were  sworn  into  service,  and  demanded  their  discharge,  though  but  half  of  their 
time  of  enlistment  had  expired.  To  the  north  lay  the  path  to  Black  Hawk,  to  the 
south  their  homes. 

Colonel  Zachary  Taylor  vigorously  demanded  that  they  continue  northward,  while 
Governor  Reynolds  pleaded,  but  to  no  purpose.  A  vote  on  the  question  by  the  cap 
tains,  as  to  whether  or  net  the  army  should  disband,  resulted  in  a  tie,  which  was  decided 
affirmatively  by  Whiteside,  who  declared  he  would  no  longer  lead  cowards.  There 
upon  he  ordered  the  march  resumed  to  the  mouth  of  Fox  River,  where  the  men  were 
mustered  out  of  service. 

Along  the  line  of  march,  the  troops  lawlessly  robbed  Indian  villages,  including  Sha- 
bo-na's,  and  otherwise  disgraced  themselves. 

NOTE  39. — Davis  and  Pettigrew. 

NOTE  40. — This  is  a  mistake.  A  detachment  from  Fort  Dearborn  marched  to  Fort 
Beggs  (Plainfield,  Will  County),  thence  to  Indian  Creek,  and  there  buried  the  victims. 

NOTE  41. — A  comma  should  appear  between  the  two  names,  thus  :  Henry,  Fry  ; 
meaning  James  D.  Henry  and  Jacob  Fry. 

NOTE  42. — William  C.  Rails  from  Schuyler  County. 

Abraham  Lincoln  re-enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  company  of  Captain  Elijah  lies. 
Before  this  re-enlistment  he  was  captain  of  a  company  in  the  Fourth  (Col.  Thompson's) 
Regiment. 

NOTE  43. — The  date  should  be  June  I5th  instead  of  June  iyth. 

Adam  Wilson  Snyder  was  born  in  Connellsville,  Fayette  County,  Pennsylvania,  on 
the  sixth  day  of  October,  1799.  ^n  earty  ^e  he  learned  the  trade  of  wool  carding, 
which  he  followed  in  Pennsylvania  up  to  the  day  of  his  departure  for  the  west. 

He  left  Pennsylvania  for  the  purpose  of  joining  relatives  in  Indiana,  but  tiring  of  his 
long  journey,  which  was  made  afoot,  he  tarried  at  a  cross-roads  store  in  Knox  County, 
Ohio,  to  engage  with  its  solitary  owner  as  clerk.  There  he  remained  until  persuaded 
to  remove  to  Illinois  by  Jesse  Burgess  Thomas,  later  United  States  Senator,  for  the 
purpose  of  undertaking  the  management  of  a  woolen  mill  which  had  been  erected  by 
the  latter  a  short  while  before.  Once  more  turning  his  face  westward,  he  arrived  at 
Cahokia  in  June  of  the  year  1817,  footsore  and  weary. 

Under  Judge  Thomas,  Snyder,  who  had  steadfastly  aspired  to  a  professional  career  so 


206         EDITOR'S   APPENDIX 

soon  as  the  moment  became  auspicious,  began  the  study  of  law,  and  was  admitted  to 
practice  in  the  year  1820,  though  he  had  not  attained  his  majority. 

In  1823  he  was  elected  by  the  legislature  to  fill  the  office  of  District  Attorney. 

In  1830  and  in  1832  he  was  elected  state  senator,  and  in  1836  he  was  elected 
Representative  in  Congress,  defeating 'John  Reynolds.  This  was  regarded  at  the  time 
as  the  greatest  achievement  in  Illinois  politics.  Again,  in  1 840,  he  was  elected  state 
senator  and  a  presidential  elector. 

On  December  u,  1841,  he  was  nominated  for  the  office  of  Governor  by  the  Dem 
ocratic  convention,  to  which  office  he  would  have  been  elected  beyond  doubt,  but  his 
death  occurred  on  May  14,  1842,  from  pulmonary  consumption.  Thomas  Ford,  who 
was  appointed  to  assume  his  candidacy  on  the  ticket,  was  elected. 

NOTE  44. — The  names  in  full  are  :  William  B.  Mecomson,  Benjamin  Scott,  and 
Benjamin  McDaniel. 

NOTE  45. — Theophilus  W.  Smith,  then  a  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  was  ap 
pointed  to  the  general  staff,  on  which  occasion  Major  Breese,  later  United  States  Sen 
ator  and  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  was  made  Lieutenant  Colonel,  and  John  D. 
Wood,  Major. 

NOTE  46. — Father  of  General  John  A.  Logan. 
NOTE  47.— Rev.  Reddick  Horn. 

NOTE  48. — Major  John  Dement.  Few  men,  indeed,  have  been  allowed  the  priv 
ilege  of  participating  actively  and  influentially  in  the  councils  of  their  party  and  in  the 
affairs  of  their  state  for  a  period  of  more  than  fifty  years ;  yet  such  is  the  record  of 
the  commander  of  the  Spy  Battalion  who  met  Black  Hawk  in  person  at  Kellogg' s 
Grove,  and  for  the  first  time  convinced  the  wily  Sac  that  the  whites  could  fight  well.  It 
is  the  fact,  that  from  the  time  Major  Dement  stopped  Black  Hawk  at  Kellogg's  Grove, 
that  Indian  was  kept  upon  a  constant  retreat  until  his  band  was  driven  into  the  Missis 
sippi  River  at  the  mouth  of  the  Bad  Axe.  And  for  the  commander's  bravery,  Black 
Hawk  paid  him  the  handsomest  compliment  to  be  found  in  the  biography  which  the 
latter  subsequently  published. 

John  Dement  was  born  at  Gallatin,  Sumner  County,  Tennessee,  in  April,  1804, 
where  he  lived  until  the  family  moved  to  Town  Mound  in  Franklin  County,  Illinois,  in 
1817.  In  1826  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Franklin  County.  In  1827  he  served  in 
the  expedition  sent  from  Illinois  to  assist  in  the  Winnebago  War.  The  same  year  he 
represented  Franklin  County  in  the  General  Assembly,  as  he  did  in  the  succeeding  session 
of  1830. 

In  the  first  campaign  against  Black  Hawk,  in  1831,  he  was  made  aid  to  Governor 
Reynolds.  During  the  same  year,  in  the  face  of  keen  opposition,  he  was  elected  state 
treasurer,  which  office  he  continued  to  hold  until  1836,  when  he  resigned  it  at  the 
solicitation  of  the  friends  of  Vandalia,  to  enter  the  General  Assembly  and  lead  the  fight 
against  moving  the  capital  to  Springfield. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  when  his  son,  Hon.  Henry  D.  Dement,  became  Secretary 
of  State  many  years  after,  he  found  some  of  the  reports  of  his  father  as  state  treasurer. 
They  were  written  upon  foolscap  paper,  and  showed  that  $40,000  was  collected  for 
each  of  two  years  ;  but  as  the  money  then  in  circulation  was  worth  but  25  cents  on  the 
dollar,  the  income  of  the  State  in  reality  was  but  $10,000  per  annum. 

Appointed  Receiver  of  the  Galena  Land  Office  in  1837,  he  removed  to  Galena  and 
remained  there  until  the  land  office  was  moved  to  Dixon,  in  1840,  to  which  place  he 
moved  and  remained  till  his  death.  In  1841,  for  political  reasons,  he  was  removed  by 
President  Harrison,  but  upon  coming  into  office,  President  Polk  reappointed  him  in 


EDITOR'S    APPENDIX         207 

1845.  He  held  the  office  again  for  four  years,  or  until  1849,  when  a  change  of 
administration  retired  him  for  another  four  years.  Again,  in  1853,  President  Pierce 
reappointed  him,  and  he  held  the  office  until  it  was  abolished. 

In  1834,  while  state  treasurer,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Louise  Dodge,  daughter  of 
the  then  General  Henry  Dodge,  afterward  Governor,  Representative,  and  United 
States  Senator  in  Congress  from  Wisconsin. 

In  1 844  he  was  made  Presidential  Elector  for  James  K.  Polk. 

Major  Dement  was  made  a  member  of  every  Constitutional  Convention  held  in 
Illinois  up  to  the  date  of  his  death,  with  the  exception  of  the  first  one,  held  in  1818, 
which  of  course  met  before  he  had  reached  his  majority,  and  this  too  in  the  face  of  the 
fact  that  in  1862  and  in  1870  his  party  at  home  was  in  a  hopeless  minority.  Of 
those  two  conventions  he  was  made  the  temporary  presiding  officer.  In  the  last  in 
stance  the  honor  was  unusual,  for  the  reason  that  his  party  was  in  the  minority. 

On  January  1 6,  1883,  he  died  at  his  home  in  Dixon. 

While  at  Vandalia,  as  state  treasurer,  Stephen  A.  Douglas  made  his  appearance  as 
a  candidate  for  the  office  of  district  attorney,  his  first  political  aspiration.  Almost 
destitute  of  friends  and  entirely  destitute  of  money,  Major  Dement  divided  his  room 
with  young  Douglas,  and  assisted  him  to  what  might  now  be  denominated  a  meal- 
ticket.  Better  than  either,  he  introduced  the  aspiring  candidate  to  powerful  friends,  and 
before  Douglas  was  ready  to  return  home  Dement  had  secured  for  him  the  desired 
appointment. 

The  late  General  Usher  F.  Linder  has  told  a  story  wherein  he  credits  Major  Dement 
with  saving  both  the  life  and  honor  of  the  former:  "General  Linder  had  offended  a  des 
perate  member  of  the  state  senate,  for  which  a  challenge  very  promptly  followed  through 
General  James  Turney,  the  senator's  second.  As  Linder' s  second,  Major  Dement 
accepted,  and  replied  that  '  the  fight  must  be  with  pistols  at  close  quarters,  each 
man  holding  a  corner  of  the  same  handkerchief  in  his  teeth.'  General  Turney  was 
thunderstruck,  and  expostulated  but  to  no  purpose,  that  such  a  condition  meant  the 
deliberate  murder  of  both.  'It  don't  matter,'  answered  Dement,  'your  principal  is 
cool,  desperate,  and  deliberate,  while  my  friend  is  nervous  and  excitable,  and  if  he  has 
to  lose  his  life,  your  friend  must  bear  him  company.'  The  duel  was  called  off  without 
a  moment's  delay." 

While  receiver,  Major  Dement  engaged  in  the  business  of  smelting  quite  extensively, 
and  during  the  latter  years  of  his  life,  he  was  an  extensive  manufacturer  of  plows  and 
flax  bagging.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  he  was  one  of  the  largest  land-owners  in  the 
State. 

NOTE  49. — Lieutenant  Colonel  Theophilus  W.  Smith  was  later  appointed  Adjutant 
General  by  Governor  Reynolds,  Major  Breese  succeeding  him,  as  above  stated. 

NOTE  50. — An  independent  company  of  spies,  commanded  by  Captain  Jacob  M. 
Early,  was  organized  also.  In  that  company  Abraham  Lincoln  served  as  a  private 
until  it  was  mustered  out  July  loth. 

NOTE  51. — Captain  Clack  Stone  commanded  Apple  River  Fort  during  the  fight 
and  during  the  campaign.  The  place  is  now  Elizabeth,  Jo  Daviess  County. 

From  correspondence  with  Mr.  N.  B.  Craig  of  Hanover,  Illinois,  who  as  a  boy 
served  in  the  company  of  his  father,  Captain  James  Craig  of  Jo  Daviess  County,  it  is 
concluded  that  the  Flack  referred  to  above  was  private  John  Flack,  of  Captain  Craig's 
company. 

Ezekiel  Rawlins,  father  of  General  John  A.  Rawlins,  was  a  member  of  Captain 
Stone's  company. 

NOTE  52. — Pecatonica. 


2o8          EDITOR'S   APPENDIX 

NOTE  53. — Five  were  killed  on  Spafford's  farm,  to  wit:  Spafford,  Searles,  Spencer, 
Mcllwaine,  and  an  Englishman  nicknamed  "John  Bull." 

NOTE  54. — Son  of  Alexander  Hamilton. 

NOTE  55. — Henry  Appel. 

NOTE  56. — Montraville.      The  word  Pecatonica  is  again  misspelled  on  this  page. 

NOTE  57. — Those  killed  were  Charles  Eames,  Michael  Lovell,  and  Stephen  P. 
Howard. 

NOTE  58. — Twenty-third. 

NOTE  59. — Colonel  John  Dement,  subsequently  of  Dixon,  Illinois. 

NOTE  60. — Upon  the  discharge  of  Captain  Iles's  company  after  its  twenty  days 
of  service,  Abraham  Lincoln,  who  had  been  a  private  therein,  re-enlisted  in  the  inde 
pendent  company  of  Captain  Jacob  M.  Early  and  was  engaged  in  scouting  duty. 
The  company  was  mustered  out  finally  at  Lake  Koshkonong  July  10,  1832. 

NOTE  61. — Subsequently  General  Robert  Anderson  of  Fort  Sumter  fame.  Thus 
it  will  be  observed  that  a  remarkably  large  number  of  great  Americans  served 
together  in  the  Black  Hawk  campaigns. 

NOTE  6z. — Sometimes  called  "trembling  lands."  So  called  from  the  fact  that 
when  trod  by  man  or  beast,  a  trembling  movement  or  sensation  was  observed,  attrib 
uted  to  the  surface  being  supported  by  muck  or  water  instead  of  a  subsoil. 

NOTE  63. — Present  site  of  Fort  Atkinson,  Wisconsin. 

NOTE  64. — Sylvia. 

NOTE  65.— The  so-called  "  Westerfield  scare." 

NOTE  66. — Had  Henry  concluded  to  obey  Atkinson's  orders  literally,  by  returning 
direct  to  Koshkonong  as  soon  as  the  provisions  had  been  drawn,  the  campaign  would 
have  ended  in  disgrace  just  as  the  others  had  ended.  On  receipt  of  news  purporting 
to  locate  Black  Hawk's  forces,  he  called  a  council  of  war,  at  which  Alexander  de 
clined  to  disobey  orders.  While  Dodge  was  in  favor  of  immediate  pursuit,  he  main 
tained  that  his  forces  were  so  crippled  and  decimated  that  the  plan  was  impossible 
so  far  as  his  command  was  concerned.  Thereupon  Henry  declared  he  would  pursue 
the  enemy  if  he  had  to  move  alone. 

At  this  juncture,  the  usual  pusillanimity  of  the  volunteers  was  displayed  in  the  form 
of  a  remonstrance  headed  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  Jeremiah  Smith  and  other  petty 
officers,  in  which  they  refused  to  obey  their  General. 

Henry  ordered  them  under  arrest  and  appointed  Colonel  Collins's  regiment  an  escort 
to  march  the  offenders  back  to  Atkinson's  headquarters,  where,  as  he  then  told  them, 
he  had  no  doubt  that  every  man  would  be  shot.  Such  firmness  was  so  unexpected, 
that  the  recalcitrants  recoiled  and  in  a  body  called  upon  Henry  with  an  apology, 
protesting  that  ignorance  alone  was  the  cause.  Henry  as  promptly  forgave  them. 
To  their  credit,  be  it  said,  they  were  among  the  very  best  fighters  thereafter. 

The  company  of  Captain  James  Craig  arrived  opportunely  with  its  fresh  horses  and 
men,  from  Jo  Daviess  County,  to  join  Dodge's  squadron,  which  so  strengthened  the 


EDITOR'S   APPENDIX         209 

latter  that  he  at  once  reported  to  Henry  for  duty.  Had  Henry  been  given  supreme 
command  in  the  first  instance,  untrammeled  by  suggestions  or  orders  from  Reynolds, 
the  Black  Hawk  War  had  ended  at  Old  Man's  Creek.  In  fact,  it  may  be  said  that 
had  it  been  possible  to  send  Henry  for  Black  Hawk  when  the  latter  was  at  the 
Prophet's  village,  defying  Atkinson  with  messages  that  his  heart  was  bad  and  that  he 
would  not  return,  the  poor  deluded  old  fellow  would  have  returned  with  an  impression 
left  upon  his  mind  that  he  had  no  further  business  east  of  the  Mississippi  River. 

NOTE  67. — Wakefield  inadvertently  writes  of  Dodge  as  "  General"  in  many 
places,  which  is  an  error.  He  was  in  1832,  a  Colonel  of  volunteers  for  the  Territory 
of  Michigan,  of  which  Wisconsin  was  then  a  part,  and  not  a  General  until  later  years. 

NOTE  68. — The  companies  of  Gentry,  Clark,  Camp,  and  Parkinson  were  Michigan 
companies  belonging  to  Dodge's  squadron. 

NOTE  69. — Philleo  did  not  kill  the  Indian  at  all,  though  he  scalped  him.  Many 
other  complaints  could  be  lodged  against  the  man's  pretensions. 

NOTE  70. — Prairie  du  Sac,  opposite  which  the  battle  was  fought. 

NOTE  71. — Private  Thomas  J.  Short  of  Captain  Briggs's  company.  Eight  men 
were  wounded  in  the  engagement. 

NOTE  72. — Should  be  Bennet  Riley.  Morgan  was  Colonel  Willoughby  Morgan. 
Brady  was  General  Hugh  Brady. 

NOTE  73. — General  Robert  Anderson  of  Fort  Sumter  fame. 

NOTE  74. — This  is  a  mistake.  Captain  Craig  joined  Dodge  at  Fort  Winnebago,  as 
stated  in  foot-note  66. 

NOTE  75. — Albert  Sidney  Johnston. 
NOTE  76. — Should  be  Abner  Greer. 

NOTE  77. — -When  our  army  appeared  in  sight  Black  Hawk  deployed  a  band  of 
about  twenty  Indians  to  meet  Atkinson,  engage  his  attention,  and  gradually  draw  that 
General  away  from  camp.  They  did  their  work  so  well  that  Atkinson  was  deceived 
and  placed  his  forces  to  attack  an  enemy  which  in  reality  was  far  below  him.  Major 
Ewing  discovered  the  main  trail,  and  reporting  it  to  Henry,  that  officer  (who  had  been 
assigned  to  guard  the  baggage  in  the  rear)  followed  it  with  such  vigor  that  the  fight 
was  won  before  Atkinson  could  participate. 

NOTE  78. — Zachary  Taylor,  who  was  then  a  Lieutenant  Colonel  in  the  regular 
establishment. 

NOTE  79. — This  attack  upon  the  willow  island  caused  almost  the  entire  number  of 
casualties  sustained  by  the  whites,  and  the  names  of  the  United  States  officers  which 
Wakefield  did  not  remember  were,  Taylor  himself  in  command,  Major  John  Bliss, 
Captain  W.  S.  Harney,  and  Captain  Henry  Smith. 

NOTE  80. — The  Warrior's  fight  was  on  the  day  before.  Captain  John  Throck- 
morton  commanded  her. 


210         EDITOR'S    APPENDIX 

NOTE  81. — The  Prophet  was  a  cross-bred  Winnebago-Sac,  whose  village  in  what 
is  now  Whiteside  County,  Illinois,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  burned  by  Whiteside's 
men  in  passing  that  point. 

There  is  no  doubt  about  the  fact  that  his  evil  genius  had  much  to  do  with  influencing 
Black  Hawk's  conduct. 

NOTE  8z. — This  ceremony  is  very  similar  to  those  performed  around  the  Hall  girls 
during  their  captivity. 

NOTE  83. — This  disposition  of  the  scalp-lock  was  very  common  among  Indians  of 
the  Mississippi  River  and  Valley.  Travelers  up  and  down  the  valley  during  the  early 
part  of  the  nineteenth  century  have  unanimously  testified  to  the  fact.  The  boast  of 
inviting  an  enemy  to  come  and  take  it,  so  frequently  made  by  Black  Hawk,  was 
pure  fiction.  With  the  same  show  of  reason  he  might  have  claimed  that  plucking  out 
the  beard  was  peculiar  to  his  individuality  alone. 

NOTE  84. — The  Sioux  inhabited  the  western  bank  of  the  Mississippi  River.  Find 
ing  their  ancient  enemies,  the  Sacs,  crushed,  they  asked  the  privilege  of  pursuing  those 
fugitives  who  had  made  their  escape  to  the  west  side  of  the  river.  Without  thought 
of  the  possible  consequences,  General  Atkinson  unfortunately  granted  them  such  per 
mission.  The  scene  of  slaughter  which  followed  was  reported  to  be  sickening. 

NOTE  85.— The  progress  of  General  Scott  with  his  army  around  the  lakes  j  the 
spread  of  the  cholera  among  his  men,  and  his  heroic  efforts  to  stamp  it  out,  should  be 
read  in  full  by  every  person  who  loves  to  read  of  noble  deeds.  Another  notable  name 
should  be  added  at  this  point,  that  of  Lieut.  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  Gen.  Scott's  aid, 
who  accompanied  the  latter. 

NOTE  86. — The  impression  prevailed  at  the  time  among  the  United  States  army 
officers  that  Keokuk  had  been  aiding  and  abetting  Black  Hawk  in  secret,  and  he  was 
even  then  suspected  of  harboring  him  from  capture,  an  unjust  and  cruel  suspicion. 

NOTE  87. — Colonel  S.  C.  Stambaugh. 

NOTE  88. — Later  General  Robert  Anderson. 

NOTE  89. — Should  be  Wa-pel-lo.     Emphasis  on  the  first  syllable. 

NOTE  90. — Cha-e-tar.      Pronounced  in  three  syllables. 

NOTE  91. — It  is  regrettable  that  when  confronted  by  Keokuk,  Black  Hawk  had 
forgotten  all  about  the  promised  disclosures.  His  neglect  in  that  particular  gives  plausi 
bility  to  the  theory  that  there  was  no  truth  to  his  assertions.  Keokuk  was  found 
trying  at  all  times  to  persuade  Black  Hawk  to  abandon  his  shadow  chasing  when  at 
liberty,  and  when  confined  in  Jefferson  Barracks  he  sought  to  make  Black  Hawk's 
confinement  bearable  by  taking  him  presents  and  ultimately  bringing  to  him  his  wife 
and  family. 

Some  measure  of  gratitude  should  have  been  manifested  for  such  favors ;  but  prior 
to  1832  the  record  is  not  illuminated  with  many  examples  of  gratitude  from  Black 
Hawk. 

NOTE  9Z. — This  is  a  mistake.      He  was  a  full-blood  Sac. 

NOTE  93. — The  name  given  in  his  autobiography  is  Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak. 


EDITOR'S    APPENDIX         211 

NOTE  94. — Wakefield  is  in  error.  Lieutenant  Jefferson  Davis  took  the  prisoners 
down  to  Jefferson  Barracks,  near  St.  Louis.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Taylor  was  not  pres 
ent  on  the  trip. 

NOTE  95. — The  efficiency  of  Colonel  Enoch  C.  March  in  the  campaigns  has  been 
universally  pronounced  marvelous. 

NOTE  96. — James  Dougherty  Henry  has  been  styled  by  so  respectable  an  authority 
as  Judge  Joseph  Gillespie  as  the  most  remarkable  man  in  Illinois  down  to  the  day  of  his 
death  at  New  Orleans,  March  4,  1834. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania,  he  removed  to  Delaware,  Ohio,  in  1816,  and  there  remained 
until  the  year  1822,  when  in  a  rage  he  whipped  three  or  four  fellow-workmen.  That 
unwarrantable  act  compelled  him  to  leave  the  place  in  haste.  By  keel  boat  he  reached 
the  mouth  of  Wood  River,  from  which  point  he  went  to  Edwardsville,  and  at  once  be 
gan  work  at  his  trade  of  shoemaker.  To  overcome  his  educational  deficiencies,  and 
gratify  a  passion  for  knowledge,  he  attended  night  school  taught  by  William  Barrett, 
beside  which  he  induced  the  boy,  Joseph  Gillespie,  to  read  to  him  during  the  day,  while 
at  work,  biographies  of  such  military  heroes  as  Alexander  the  Great,  Hannibal,  Caesar 
and  Napoleon.  Meagre  as  were  those  sources,  his  advancement  in  learning  was  phe 
nomenal. 

In  1826,  Mr.  Jonathan  Atwater  established  him  in  business  at  Springfield,  where 
he  was  enabled  to  take  his  first  ambitious  step.  He  was  made  sheriff  of  the  county. 

His  nature  was  composed  of  numerous  and  painfully  abnormal  contrarieties.  He 
was  melancholy,  retiring,  and  withal  insanely  ambitious  for  military  renown.  The 
same  Judge  Gillespie  has  said,  "  He  was  as  mild  as  a  May  morning  and  as  terrible  as  a 
tornado. ' '  Once,  at  Edwardsville,  he  suspected  a  negro  named  Jarrett,  the  slave  of 
Joseph  Conway,  of  doing  him  an  injury, — a  wholy  unjust  suspicion.  Henry  dragged  the 
unfortunate  wretch  to  the  barn  of  Rowland  P.  Allen,  stripped  him  to  the  waist,  tied 
him  to  a  hay-rack,  and  proceeded  to  lash  him  with  hickory  withes.  The  crowd  of  men 
which  gathered  stood  helplessly  and  stupidly  watching  the  act,  afraid  to  antagonize  the 
giant  form  of  Henry  and  his  fiendish  rage  ;  but  when  the  cries  of  the  negro  reached 
the  ears  of  Mrs.  Allen,  she  seized  a  carving-knife  from  her  table  and  rushed  between 
the  slave's  bleeding  body  and  Henry,  who  recoiled  in  astonishment,  while  Mrs.  Allen 
cut  the  cords  and  led  the  negro  to  safety. 

While  that  brutishness  mellowed  and  at  last  disappeared  almost  entirely,  its  reappear 
ance  at  Fort  Winnebago,  together  with  his  powerful  physique,  awed  an  army  and  per 
mitted  him  to  advance  and  win  the  battles  of  the  Wisconsin  and  the  Bad  Axe,  the 
latter  in  the  face  of  the  fact  that  Atkinson  purposely  relegated  him  to  the  rear  of  the 
army  in  charge  of  the  baggage,  in  a  spirit  of  jealousy  for  having,  contrary  to  orders, 
pursued  Black  Hawk,  and  whipped  him  at  the  Wisconsin. 

The  man  was  a  fatalist,  said  to  have  been  accentuated  by  reason  of  the  misfortune 
of  his  birth,  and  when  the  Winnebago  war,  the  1831  campaign,  and  the  first  half  of 
the  1832  campaign  ended  without  presenting  to  him  the  opportunity  to  win  fame,  he 
was  inconsolable. 

Rugged  as  he  had  been,  the  severities  of  the  last  campaign  undermined  his  health. 
Early  in  1834  he  sought  relief  in  the  milder  climate  of  New  Orleans,  but  without 
avail,  and  he  passed  away  so  quietly  that  until  it  became  noised  about  that  General  Henry 
was  dead,  his  presence  in  the  city  was  almost  unknown. 

Before  departing  he  had  been  nominated  by  a  "  People's  Party  "  for  Governor,  and 
so  reliable  an  authority  as  Governor  Ford  has  stated  that  nothing  but  his  death  could 
have  prevented  his  election  by  20,000  majority.  The  coincidence  might  be  called 
remarkable  that  two  of  the  Black  Hawk  heroes  were  nominees  for  the  office  of  Gov 
ernor  when  death  snatched  away  the  honor. 


INDEX. 


A. 

Adams,    Captain   John    G.      At 

Stillman's  battle  49,51. 

Adams,  Samuel.   Elected  Colonel 

65. 

Alexander,  General  Milton  K. 
Elected  Brigadier  General  65. 
Ordered  to  Plum  River  75. 
Joins  main  army  at  Lake  Kosh- 
konong  80.  Sent  to  Fort 
Winnebago  85.  Returns  to 
Atkinson  102.  Arrives  at 
Blue  Mounds  1 19.  At  Helena 
121.  At  Bad  Axe  battle  129, 
et  seq. 

Ames,  Charles.  Should  be 
Eames,  which  see. 

Anderson,  Lieutenant  Robert. 
Scouting  79.  Mentioned  121. 
Musters  out  troops  145. 

Appel,  Henry.    Murder  of     70. 

Apple  River  Fort.      Attacked 

66-69. 

Archer,  William  B.  Appointed 
Aid  65.  At  Helena  i  20,  121. 

Armstrong,  Chiler.  Acts  as  in 
terpreter  I  24. 

Atkinson,  General  Henry.  Com 
municates  with  Governor 
Reynolds  3 3.  Letters  to  34, 
35.  Letter  to  Governor  Rey 
nolds  respecting  militia  35. 
Letter  to  Black  Hawk  and  Ne- 
a-pope  39.  Musters  army  into 


U.  S.  service  41.  Receives 
Captain  Snyder's  report 
62.  At  Fort  Wilbourn  64. 
At  Dixon's  Ferry  75.  Marches 
up  Rock  River  76.  Move 
ments  around  Lake  Koshko- 
nong  78,  79,  80,  81,  82,83. 
Retrograde  movement  down 
stream  83.  Leaves  Fort  Kosh- 
konong  117.  Arrives  at  Blue 
Mounds  119.  At  Helena  121. 
Arranges  for  the  Bad  Axe  battle 
i  29.  At  the  Bad  Axe  bat 
tle  130,  et  seq.  Report  to 
General  Macomb  146,  147. 

B. 

Bad  Axe.     Battle  of  129,  et  seq. 

Bailey,  Major  David.  Reaches 
Dixon's  45.  Receives  or 
ders  to  march  with  Stillman  45. 

Bangs,  Lieutenant  Oliver.  Men 
tioned  57. 

Bankson,  Captain  Andrew.  Men 
tioned  63. 

Barlow,  J.  W.  Elected  Lieu 
tenant  Colonel  65. 

Barnes,  Captain  David  W.  At 
Stillman's  battle  48. 

Beardstown.  Troops  concentrate 
therein  1831  30.  Concentrate 
there  in  1832  52.  Troops 
ordered  to  concentrate  there  for 
final  campaign  in  1832  63. 


2I4 


INDEX 


Beloit,  Wis.  203. 

Berry,  Adjutant  General  E.  C. 
Mentioned  157. 

Black,  Samuel.  Killed  at  Peca- 
tonica  71. 

Blackburn,  J.  M.  Elected  Col 
onel  65. 

Black  Hawk.  Sent  for  by  Gen. 
Gaines  32.  Signs  Treaty 
32.  Conduct  with  Gratiot 
39.  Black  Hawk  and  Ne-a- 
pope  sent  for  39.  Skill  in 
plans  42.  Course  taken  up 
Rock  River  42.  Retires  far 
ther  up  Rock  River  75.  His 
rendezvous  discovered  84, 104. 
His  trail  for  the  Mississippi 
105.  Pursuit  of  1 06,  et 
seq.  At  battle  of  Wisconsin 
Heights  in.  After  Bad 
Axe  battle  137,  140.  A 
prisoner  148.  Talk  148. 
His  appearance  152.  His 
feint  at  the  Bad  Axe  209. 

Blackwell,  Robert.  Carries  Rey 
nolds*  call  for  more  troops  52. 

Bliss,  Maj.  John.  At  the  Bad 
Axe  battle  209. 

Block  Houses.  Built  at  Galena 

28. 

Blue  Mounds.  Troops  form  a 
junction  there  1 18. 

Bond,  Benjamin.  Appointed 
Paymaster  64. 

Bowers,  George.  Elected  Ma 
jor  65. 

Bowman,  Lieutenant  Samuel. 
Killed  at  Bad  Axe  battle  133, 

134- 

Bradford,  William .  At  Bad  Axe 
battle  132. 

Bradsby,  Esq.  Wakefield  stops 
with  5  3 . 


Brady,  General  Hugh.  Men 
tioned  121. 

Breese,    Major    Sidney.      Made 

Major  64,  65.      Leaves   army 

84. 

Briggs,  Captain  Josiah  S.  Dis 
patched  to  call  militia  54. 
Reaches  Beardstown  64. 
At  battle  of  Wisconsin  Heights 
114. 

Bristow,  Captain  George         30. 

Brown  [Browne],  Thomas  C. 
Aid.  Mentioned  121. 

Buckmaster,  Major  Nathaniel. 
Major  Odd  Battalion  in  1831 
31.  Biography  200. 

Bureau  River  or  Creek.      Major 

Dement  ordered  to  reconnoitre 

72. 

Burns,  Captain  James.  Men 
tioned  63. 

Burnt  Village.  Reached  81. 
Mentioned  83. 

Burr  Oak  Grove.    Battle    59-61. 

Butler,  Major  Nathaniel          30. 

C. 

Caldwell,  Billy.  At  Sycamore 
Creek  76 

Camp,  Captain.  At  battle  of 
Wisconsin  Heights  107. 

Campbell.  Elected  Lieutenant 
Colonel  64. 

Carlin,  Thomas.  Made  Captain 
1831  30. 

Casey,  Zadock.  In  Dement' s 
battle  7  5 . 

Cass,  Governor  Lewis.  Actions 
in  Winnebago  War  28,  29. 

Cha-e-tar.  Mentioned  148. 
Talk  151-2. 

Chapman,  Amyson.  Deposi 
tion  163. 


INDEX 


215 


Childs,  Cyrus  [should  be  Ty- 
rus].  Killed  at  Stillman's 
battle  5 1 . 

Chouteau,  Auguste.  Treaty  of 
1815  195-198. 

Clark,  Captain.  At  the  battle 
of  Wisconsin  Heights  107. 

Clark,  B.  A.  Appointed  Aid 
to  Posey  65. 

Clark,  General  William.  For 
bearance  20.  Addressed  by 
Gov.  Reynolds  30.  Letter 
from  Reynolds  164.  Letter 
to  Reynolds  165.  Treaty 
1815  195-198. 

Collins,  Adjutant  Thomas.      30. 

Collins,  James.  Elected  Colonel 
65.  Sent  up  Rock  River  80. 
At  battle  of  Wisconsin  Heights 
112-114.  At  the  Bad  Axe 
battle  130,  et  seq. 

Committee  of  Safety.  At  Galena 
in  1827  28. 

Contents  21-24. 

Cornelius,  Dr.  I.  N.  McTy. 
Wounded  61. 

Covington.      Mentioned          53. 

Craig,  Captain  James.  Joins 
Dodge  123. 

Cranberry  Lake.  Black  Hawk 
said  to  be  there  104.  Men 
tioned  117. 

Cubbage,  Mr.    With  Gratiot  38. 

D. 

Davenport,  George.  Letter  to 
General  Atkinson  35. 

Daviess  [Davis]  Family.  Mur 
dered  55,  56. 

Davis,  Jefferson.  A  Lieutenant 
204.  Takes  Black  Hawk  to 
Jefferson  Baracks  211. 


Decorri.     Mentioned  149.    Talk 
149,  150. 

Dement,  Major  John.  Elected 
Major  65.  His  battle  72-75. 
Resigns  75.  Biography  206. 

Deposition  of  B.  F.  Pike  162-3. 
Of  Sanders  and  Chapman  163. 

DeWitt,  Colonel  Abraham  B. 
Mentioned  40. 

Dickson  [misspelled  Dixon], 
Captain  Joseph.  At  battle  of 
Wisconsin  Heights  108. 

Dissatisfaction  of  troops  55,  120. 

Dixon,  F.      At  Apple  River  Fort 

66. 

Dixon,  John.  Slaughters  cows  for 
army  205. 

The  act  made  him  army  contractor 
thenceforth.    [Ed.] 

Dixon's  Ferry.  Whiteside's 
Brigade  reaches  there  44. 
Stillman  and  Bailey  leave  44. 
Troops  return  after  Stillman's 
battle  49.  Whiteside  moves 
52.  Returns  55.  Atkinson 
reaches  there  55.  Army 
leaves  55.  Troops  ordered  to 
concentrate  there  72.  Atkin 
son  and  Henry  advance  up 
Rock  River  76.  Troops 
mustered  out  145.  Lincoln 
and  Davis  at  204. 

Dodge,  Colonel  Henry.  In 
Winnebago  War  28,  29.  Bat 
tle  of  the  Pecatonica  7 1 .  Joins 
main  army  at  the  Whitewater 
8 1 .  Sent  to  Fort  Winnebago 
85.  He  and  Gen.  Henry 
pursue  Black  Hawk  102,  et 
seq.  At  battle  of  Wisconsin 
Heights  110-114.  At  Bad 
Axe  battle  I  29,  et  seq. 


2l6 


INDEX 


Donaldson,    Dr.       At  Stillman's 

battle  5°- 

Doty,  James.  Killed  at  Still 

man's  battle  5Ig 

Duncan,  Gen.  Joseph.  Com 

mands    forces    in     1831    30. 

Marches  for  Rock  River  3  I  . 
Dunn,  Captain  Charles.  Shot 

82.  Sent  to  Dixon's  Ferry 
85. 
E. 

Eads,  Captain  Abner.  At  Still 

man's  battle  47. 

Eames  [misspelled  Ames], 

Charles.  Killed  at  Stephen  - 


sons 


battle 


72 


Early,  Captain  Jacob  M.    Scout 

ing  79,  80.     Penetrates  island 

83. 

Edwards,  Governor  Ninian. 
During  Winnebago  War  28. 
Treaty  of  1  815  I95~98 

Elkin,  Captain  William  F.      30. 

Ellis,  Bird.  Killed  at  Stillman's 
battle  5  1  . 

Eubanks,  William.  Elected  Ma 
jor  65. 

Evans,  James.  Elected  Major. 

65. 

Ewing,  Colonel  John.  Sent  as 
spy  41.  Carries  Reynolds' 
call  for  more  troops  5  2.  Elect 
ed  Colonel  64.  At  the 
Whitewater  8  1  .  His  regiment 
sent  as  escort  to  Dixon's  Ferry 
85. 

Ewing,  W.  L.  D.  Elected  Ma 
jor  65.  Forms  line  of  bat 
tle  77.  Discovers  trail  77, 

78.  Sent    up     Rock    River 

79,  80.         Crosses       White 
water  82.     At  battle  of  Wis 


consin  Heights  ii o,  ill,  112. 

At  Bad  Axe  battle  130,  et  seq. 

F. 

Farris,  Joseph  and  David.  At 
Stillman's  battle  49,  51. 

Feaman,  Capt.  Jacob.  Reaches 
Beardstown  64. 

Fever  River.      Mentioned      27. 

Field,  Alexander  P.  Appointed 
Aid  to  Henry  65.  Leaves 
the  army  84. 

Flack,  Captain.  Narrates  attack 
on  Apple  River  Fort  66-69. 

Forbearance  by  the  Government 
19,  20. 

Fowler  [John].  Said  to  have 
been  killed  in  Stephenson's 
battle  [error]  72. 

Foxes  and  Sacs.  See  "Sacs  and 
Foxes." 

Fry,  Jacob.  Lieut.  Col.  regiment, 

1831  30.       Elected   Colonel 

1832  40.      Elected    Colonel 
temporary  regiment  57.  Elect 
ed   Colonel  Second  regiment, 
Third  Brigade  65.      Sent  up 
Rock    River    76.      Overtaken 
76.      Crosses  Rock  River  80. 
Bridges    the    Whitewater  83. 
At  battle  of  Wisconsin  Heights 
113.       At      the     Bad      Axe 
battle  130,  et  seq. 

Ft.  Armstrong.  Black  Hawk's 
band  pass,  in  1832  33. 

Ft.  Hamilton.  Murders  at 
Spafford's  70.  Posey's  Bri 
gade  sent  to  85. 

Ft.  Koshkonong  [written  Kus- 
kanong].  Built  85. 

Ft.  Madison.  Sacs  rendezvous 

35- 


INDEX 


217 


Ft.  Wilbourn.  Snyder's  com 
pany  discharged  62.  Erected 
by  Horn  64.  Col.  Smith 
marches  thence  64.  Troops 
concentrate  72. 


Ft.    Winnebago. 
provisions 

G. 


Sought     for 
84,  85. 


Gaines,  General  Edmund  P. 
Calls  on  Gov.  Reynolds  for 
militia  30.  Campaign  of  1831 

31.  Demands    Black    Hawk 

32.  Makes  treaty  32.      Let 
ter  from  Reynolds  166.      Let 
ter     to     Reynolds    167,    1 68. 
Treaty   1831   169-172.       To 
Secretary  of  War        172-176. 

Galena.  Location  of  and  general 
reference  27.  Capt.  Lindsey 
reports  engagement  27.  Cit 
izens  move  there  for  safety  28. 

Gatewood,  William  J.  Elected 
Lieutenant  Colonel  64. 

Gentry,  Captain  James  H.  At 
battle  of  Wisconsin  Heights 
107.  At  battle  of  the  Bad 
Axe  1 30,  et  seq. 

Gillespie,  Joseph.  Paymaster 
Odd  Battalion  31. 

Gillham,  James.  Elected  Lieu 
tenant  Colonel  65. 

Gillham  (spelled  Gilham  herein), 
Captain  William  30. 

Grass  bridges  28. 

Gratiot,  Colonel  Henry.  Mis 
sion  to  the  Turtle  village  and 
Prophetstown  37,  38,  39,  40. 
Meets  Hall  sisters  92. 

Greathouse,  John  S.  Quarter 
master  3 1 . 

Green  [Emerson].    Killed   118. 


Greer  (or  Grier),  Captain  Ab- 
ner.  At  battle  of  the  Bad 
Axe  130. 

H. 

Hackelton,  Samuel.  At  Still- 
man's  battle  49. 

Hale  [William].  His  scalp 
found  79. 

Hall,  Alexander  P.  Appointed 
Aid  to  Posey  65. 

Hall,  Rachel  and  Sylvia.  Men 
tioned  55.  Their  story 
87-96. 

Hall  [William]  .  Killed  at  Indian 
Creek  55. 

Halstead,  C.  V.  Appointed 
Quartermaster  64. 

Hamilton,  Colonel  William  S. 
Arrives  at  Fort  Hamilton  70. 
Scouting  83.  Son  of  Alexan 
der  Hamilton  208. 

Hampton  [Houston] ,  James. 
Elected  Major  64. 

Hanes  [Haines],  Captain  John. 
Mentioned  30. 

Hargrave,  Colonel  Willis. 
Elected  Colonel  64. 

Harney,  Capt.  W.  S.  At  the 
Bad  Axe  209. 

Harrison,  First  Lieutenant  James 
M.  Mentioned  57. 

Harrison,       Governor      William 

Henry.      Treaty    1804    191- 

195. 

Hawthorn,  John.  Appointed 
Hospital  Steward  64. 

Helena.  Troops  proceed  thence 
119,  120. 

Henderson's  River.  Horses  lost 

41. 

Hennepin.  Troops  ordered  to 
concentrate  there  52. 


218 


IN  DEX 


Henry,  James  D.  Colonel  of 
First  Regiment  in  1831  30. 
Major  of  Spy  Battalion  in  1832 
40.  Enlists  as  private;  elected 
Lieutenant  Colonel  57.  Elect 
ed  Brigadier  General  65.  At 
Dixon's  Ferry  75.  Sends  Fry 
up  Rock  River  76.  Sent  to 
Fort  Winnebago  85.  He  and 
Dodge  pursue  Black  Hawk 
1 02,  et  seq.  Addresses  his 
men  115.  At  the  Blue 
Mounds  1 1 8.  At  Helena  1 20. 
At  the  Bad  Axe  battle  130, 
etseq.  Conduct  at  Ft.  Win 
nebago  208.  Biography  2 1 1 . 

Herclurode,  George.  Killed  at 
Apple  River  Fort  67. 

Higbee,  Charles.  Made  Surgeon 
1831  31. 

Horn,  Rev.  Reddick.  Sent  to 
St.  Louis  for  supplies  52. 
Reaches  St.  Louis  54.  Erects 
Fort  Wilbourn  64.  Befriends 
Hall  sisters  95. 

Howard,  Stephen  P.  Killed  at 
Stephenson's  battle  72. 

Hughes,  General  Andrew  S. 
Letter  to  General  Atkinson  34. 

Huston,  or  Houston  [written 
Hampton],  James.  Made 
Major  64. 

Huston  [Houston],  Captain  Sam 
uel.  At  battle  of  Wiscon 
sin  Heights  107. 

I. 

lies,  Elijah.    Capt.  in  emergency 

regiment  57. 

Indiana.      Offers  troops  64. 

Indian  Creek.      Massacre     55-6. 


J. 

James,  Captain  Benjamin.  Tem 
porary  regiment  57.  Elected 
Major  65. 

Jefferson  Barracks.  *53- 

Jenkins,  Thomas.  Wounded  at 
the  battle  of  the  Pecatonica  7 1 . 

Jo  Daviess  County.  Mentioned 

27. 

Johnson,  Captain.  Aid  to  Gen. 
Atkinson  121. 

Johnston,  Albert  Sidney.  At  the 
Bad  Axe  battle  130. 

Johnston,  Joseph  E.  210. 

Jones,  C.  Elected  Lieutenant 
Colonel  65. 

Jones,  Edward.       Quartermaster 

3°- 

Jones,  Colonel  Gabriel.  Elected 
Colonel  65.  Sent  up  Rock 
River  80.  At  battle  of  the 
Wisconsin  ill,  112.  At 
battle  of  the  Bad  Axe  130, 
et  seq. 

Jones,  Major  James  S.  Elected 
Major  65. 

Jordan,  W.  Elected  Quarter 
master  3 1 . 

Journey,  Sample.  Kills  an  In 
dian  110. 

K. 

Kapas'  Village.  Army  ordered 
to  disband  205. 

Kaskaskia.  Wakefield  arrives 
there  54. 

Keel  Boats.  Attacked  by  In 
dians  in  Upper  Mississippi 
19,  26-28. 

Kellogg's  Grove.    Snyder's  battle 

58-63.     Dement's  battle  72-76. 


IN  DEX 


219 


Kendle,  Samuel  F.  Adjutant 
Spy  Battalion  31. 

Keokuk,  with  warriors  and  squaws 
visits  Reynolds  at  Yellow  Banks 
41.  Black  Hawk  demanded 
of  143.  Mentioned  148. 

Kickapoo  River.      Reached  127. 

Kickapoos.     Join  Sacs  and  Foxes 

35- 

Kincade,  Captain  Hiram.  31. 
Kingsbury,  Lieutenant  Julius  J. 

B.      At  the  battle  of  the  Bad 

Axe  135,  136. 

Kinney.  Sent  as  pilot  41. 

Koshkonong  [written  Kuskanong] 

Lake.        Reached     79,      80. 

Movements  near   81,  82,  83. 


L. 


Leach,  Samuel.  Elected  Colonel 

64. 

Leib  [?],  Colonel  Daniel.  Men 
tioned  30. 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  A  Captain 
204.  Next  a  private  in  Capt. 
He's'  company  203,  208. 
Next  a  private  in  Capt.  Early's 
company  207,  208. 

Lindsey,  Captain  Allen.  Attacked 
by  Indians  19,  26.  His 
losses  27.  At  the  battle  of 
Wisconsin  Heights  107. 
Mentioned  124. 

Little  Thunder.  Guide  to  At 
kinson's  camp  105,  117. 

Logan,  J.  B.  Appointed  Sur 
geon's  Mate  64.  Father  of 
Gen.  John  A.  Logan  206. 

Loomis,  Captain  G.     Mentioned 

*42a 

Loramie     (should   be   Loraine), 

Captain  John.    Mentioned  3 1 . 


Lorton,  Captain  John.  Men 
tioned  30. 

Low  [Lowe  is  probably  correct], 
Captain  Gideon.  At  Ft.  Kosh 
konong  119. 

M. 

Macomson,  William  B.      Killed 

60. 

March,  Colonel  E.  C.  At  Bad 
Axe  battle  130,  et  seq.  Men 
tioned  155. 

Mathews,  Captain  H.  30. 

Mathews,  S.  T.  Elected  Col 
onel  65. 

Maxfield, .       At  Stillman's 

battle  49,  50. 

Menominies.  Massacred  in  183  I 
32.  Under  Col.  W.  S.  Ham 
ilton,  scouting  84.  Rejoice 
over  defeat  of  Sacs  140.  A 
"talk"  141,  142.  In  Stam- 
baugh's  expedition  143. 

Merryman,  Dr.  E.  H.  As  ex 
press  to  Atkinson  105,  116. 
From  Atkinson  117. 

Miller,  Captain  Solomon.  Of 
Odd  Battalion  3 1 . 

Miller,  Captain  William.  Of 
Spy  Battalion  31.  Elected 
Major  65. 

Mines,  The.     Mentioned       28. 

Moore,  Captain  William.  In 
Odd  Battalion  31. 

Morgan,  Major  Willoughby. 
At  Helena  121. 

Morris,  Captain  Achilles.  Men 
tioned  30. 

Morris,  Montraville.  Killed  at 
Pecatonica  7 1 . 

Mustered  into  service  41. 


22O 


INDEX 


McConnel,  Murray.  Appointed 
Brigade  Inspector  65.  At  bat 
tle  of  the  Bad  Axe  1 30,  et  seq. 

McDaniel,  Benjamin.   Killed  60. 

McDonald,  John.    House  of  68. 

McFadden,  Captain  George.  In 
temporary  regiment  57* 

McHenry,  William.  Elected 
Major  65. 

N. 

Na-a-pope  (should  be  Ne-a- 
pope).  Sent  for  39.  At  Wis 
consin  Heights  battle  1 1  2. 
Mentioned  153. 

Neale,  Thomas  M.  In  Winne- 
bago  War  28.  Marches  to 
mines  29.  Appointed  Pay 
master  30. 

Nuting,  James.      Wounded    67. 

O. 

Officers  named    in    campaign  of 

1831  3°>3l- 
Old   Man's  Creek.      Mentioned 

46. 

Omelvany,  John.  Appointed 
Adjutant  64. 

Oquawka,   Illinois  203. 

Organization  of  1831  forces    30. 
Organization     of    volunteers    in 

1832  40.        Of  Whiteside's 
Brigade  40. 

Organization  of  Volunteers,  sec 
ond  campaign,  1832  64. 

Ottawa.  Troops  mustered  out 
there  56. 

P. 

Parkinson,  Captain.  At  battle 
of  Wisconsin  Heights  107. 

Paw  Paw  Grove.  Indians  said 
to  be  there  44,  204. 


Pecatonica.      Battle  of  the       71. 

Perkins,  Isaac.  Killed  at  Still- 
man's  battle  5 1. 

Petition   to    Governor  Reynolds 

29.        By   John   Wells,  et  al. 

159,  160,  161. 

Pettigrew  [written  Pennigrew], 
William.  Murder  of  55,  56. 

Philleo,  Dr.  Addison.  At  battle 
of  Wisconsin  Heights  109, 

I  10. 

Pierce,  Moses  [Hosea].  Elected 
Colonel  65. 

Pierce,  Samuel  C.  (Captain.) 
Mentioned  30. 

Pike,  B.  F.      Deposition  of  162. 

Plum  River.  Alexander  sent 
there  75.  Explored  80. 

Poquet,  Pierre.       Information  at 

Fort    Winnebago    85.       Pilot 

for  Henry  and  Dodge  103.   At 

battle    of  Wisconsin    Heights 

108. 

Portage  of  the  Wisconsin.  Red 
Bird  captured  29. 

Posey,  Dr.  Alexander.  Elected 
Brig.  Gen.  64.  Reaches  De 
ment  at  Kellogg' s  Grove  74. 
Moves  for  Fort  Hamilton  75. 
Joins  main  army  at  Rock  River 
(in  Wis.)  81.  Sent  to  Fort 
Hamilton  85.  Moves  to  Blue 
Mounds  1 19.  Moves  to  Hel 
ena  119,  121.  At  Bad  Axe 
battle  131,  et  seq. 

Pottawattomies.  Join  Sacs  and 
Foxes  35. 

Prairie  du  Chien.  Mentioned 
29,  32,  136,  140. 

Preface  17-20. 

Prewitt  [Preuitt],  Captain  Solo 
mon.  Spy  Battalion  31. 


INDEX 


221 


Prophet,  The.  Gratiot  incident 
37,  40.  At  Bad  Axe  battle 
137.  Prisoner^S,  149,  151. 
Personal  appearance  I  53.  His 
ancestry  210. 

Prophet's  Village.  Indians  march 
thence  34.  Gratiot's  mission 
there  37-40.  Arrival  and  de 
parture  of  militia  44. 

Pugh,  Jonathan  H.  Scouting 

79- 
R. 

Rails,  Captain  William  C.  [writ 
ten  James  Rolls].  Enlists  in 
temporary  regiment  57. 

Raum,  John.  Appointed  Brig 
ade  Inspector  65. 

Rawlins,  Ezekiel  [Father  of  Gen 
eral  John  A.  Rawlins]  207. 

Red  Bird.  Surrender  and  death 
of  29. 

Reynolds,  Governor  John.  Jus 
tified  in  calling  militia  19.  Pe 
titioned  in  1831  29.  Writes 
Generals  Clark  and  Gaines  30. 
Issues  proclamation  in  1831 
30.  His  proclamation  in  1832 
33,  36.  Meets  troops  at 
Beardstown  40.  Calls  for  more 
troops  52.  Discharges  White- 
side's  Brigade  56.  Leaves  the 
army  84.  Mentioned  153. 
Letter  to  General  Clark  164. 
Letter  from  General  Clark 
165.  Letter  to  General 
Gaines  166.  Letter  from 
General  Gaines  167,  168. 
Treaty  with  the  Winnebagoes 
178-85.  Treaty  with  Sacs 
and  Foxes  185-91. 

Richardson,  Captain  John  F. 
At  Bad  Axe  battle  131. 


Riley,    Major    Bennet.         Near 

Snyder's   battlefield    61.      At 

Helena  121. 

Roberts,  First  Lieutenant  Calvert. 

Mentioned  57. 

Roberts,  Second  Lieutenant 

Henry.  Mentioned  57. 

Rock  Island  [not  the  city  of 

that  name]  29,  32. 

Roman,  Surgeon  Richard.  In 

Odd  Battalion  31. 

Roster  of  1 83 1  officers  30-3 1 . 
Roster  of  Whiteside's  Brigade  40. 
Roster  of  officers  elected  for 

the  final  campaign  64. 

S. 

Sacs  and  Foxes.  Mentioned  1 8, 
19.  In  1831  29.  Their 
conduct  29.  Assemble  at 
Rock  River  29.  Cross  to 
west  side  of  the  Mississippi  32. 
Make  treaty  32.  Attack  Me- 
nominies  32.  Cross  Rock 
River  in  1832  33-35.  Pass 
up  Rock  River  35.  Treaty 
of  1832  185-191.  Treaty 
of  1804  191-195. 

Sanders,  H.  et  at.  Deposition 
of  163. 

Scott,  Benjamin.      Killed        60. 

Scott,  Lieutenant  James.  Men 
tioned  57. 

Scott,  General  Winfield.  Arrives 
at  Prairie  du  Chien  142. 
Orders  discharge  of  militia 
143.  Treaty  with  the  Win 
nebagoes  178-185.  Treaty 
with  Sacs  and  Foxes  185-91. 
The  cholera  210. 

Semple,  Adjutant  James.  Men 
tioned  31,61. 

Sentinel  shot.  78. 


222 


INDEX 


Sha-bo-na  [written  Shabbaney]. 
At  Sycamore  Creek  76. 

Sharp,  P.  H.  Elected  Lieut. 
Colonel  65.  Left  in  com 
mand  at  Fort  Koshkonong  117. 

Sheledy,  Stephen  B.  Made 
Inspector  2d  Brigade  65. 

Shelton,  Joseph.      Elected  Major 

65. 

Shirley,  Lieutenant  W.  Men 
tioned  57. 

Short,  John.      Wounded      114. 

Sioux,  The.  At  Prairie  du  Chien 

140. 

Smith,  Captain  Adam.  Of  First 
regiment.  Campaign  1831 

Smith,  Capt.  Henry.  At  the 
Bad  Axe  209. 

Smith,  Jeremiah.  Elected  Lieu 
tenant  Colonel  65. 

Smith,  Captain  Samuel.  In  1831 
30 .  In  temporary  regiment  5  7 . 

Smith,  Theophilus  W.  Elected 
Lieutenant  Colonel  64. 

Leaves  army  84. 

Snyder,  Captain  Adam  W.  Of 
the  temporary  regiment  57. 
His  battle  58-63.  His  com 
pany  discharged  62.  Biog 
raphy  205. 

Spafford.      Murders   at  his  farm 

70. 

Stambaugh,  Col.  S.  C.          210. 

Stampede  of  horses.  85. 

Stephens,  Colonel.     Mentioned. 

54- 
Stephenson,    Captain  James   W. 

His  battle  7 1 . 

Stillman,  Major  Isaiah.    Receives 

orders  to  march  from  Dixon's 

Ferry  45.       His  battle  47-51, 

204. 


Stone,  Captain  Clack.  At  Apple 
River  Fort  69. 

Storm,  .  Elected  Lieuten 
ant  Colonel  64. 

Street,  General  Joseph  M.  No 
tifies  Governor  Reynolds  of 
attack  on  Menominies  33. 
Talk  141,  152.  Sends 
prisoners  downstream  153. 

Strode,  Colonel  James  M.  At 
Stillman' s  battle  46.  At  Apple 
River  Fort  69.  Commands  a 
company  at  Galena  200. 

Stuart,  Major  John  T.  Elected 
Major  in  1831  30. 

St.  Peter's.      Mentioned         26. 

Sycamore  Creek.    Mentioned  76. 

T. 

Table  of  Contents.  19-24. 

Taylor,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Zach- 
ary.  Mentioned  121.  At  Bad 
Axe  battle  131,  et  seq.  Talk 
151.  Sends  prisoners  down 
stream  153.  Denounces 
troops  205. 

Terrell,  William  H.  Appointed 
Surgeon  64. 

Thomas,  John.  Elected  Colonel 
Third  Regiment  40.  Elected 
Major  temporary  regiment  57. 

Thompson,  Samuel  M.  Made 
Colonel  40. 

Throckmorton,  Captain  John. 
Commands  the  Warrior  209. 

Treaty  of  1831.  Made  32. 
Set  out  in  full  169-172. 

Treaty  of  1832.  Made  154. 
With  Winnebagoes  154.  Set 
out  178-85. 

Treaty   with    Sacs  and  Foxes  in 

1804      191-95.        In      1832 

185-91. 


INDEX 


223 


Treaty  of  1815  195-98. 

Trembling  [written  Tumbling] 
lands.  84. 

Turtle  Village.  Reached  by 
Gratiot  37.  Reached  by 
Atkinson  76. 


W. 


Wa-bo-kie-shick.  (See  "The 
Prophet. ")  153. 

Waggoner,  Lieutenant  Jacob. 
Mentioned  57. 

Wakefield,  John  A.  Biography 
7.  Sent  as  a  spy  41.  Sent 
as  a  messenger  for  more 
troops  52-54.  Anecdote  re 
lated  52-54- 

Walker,  Captain  George  E.  Calls 
at  Dixon's  Ferry  76.  Dis 
patched  on  Black  Hawk's  trail 
78. 

Walker,  Lieutenant[W.  F.]Men- 
tioned  57. 

Walters,  John.  Killed  at  Still- 
man's  battle  51. 

Wap-el-lo  [written  Wapilo]. 
Mentioned  147. 

Warrior.  Steamboat  of  that  name 
135,  139,  142. 

Weatherford,     Captain    William 

3i- 

Webb,  Captain.  Left  at  Fort 
Dixon  107. 

Wells,  Captain  Alexander.  Men 
tioned  3 1 . 

Wells,  Samuel.  Killed  at  Peca- 
tonica  7 1 . 

Westerfield  Scare.          96,  et  seq. 

Wheeler,  Captain  Erastus.      31. 

White  Cloud.  (See  "The 
Prophet.")  153. 

White  Crow.  Mission  to  the 
Prophet's  village  39. 


Whiteside,  General  Samuel.  As 
Major  in  i  83  i  31.  Appointed 
Brigadier  General  1832  40. 
Orders  a  forced  march  44. 
Reaches  Dixon's  44.  Orders 
Stillman  and  Bailey  to  move 
45.  Moves  to  field  of 
Stillman's  battle  52.  Buries 
dead  and  returns  to  Dixon's 
Ferry  54-55.  Enlists  as  a 
private  56.  Kills  Indian 
leader  6 1 .  Restores  order  by 
threat  61.  At  Galena  200. 
Biography  201. 

Whiteside,  Captain  William  B. 
Of  Spy  Battalion  in  1831  31. 

Whitewater  River.  Mentioned 
81.  Crossed  82.  Recrossed 

83- 
Winchester,  P.  H.        Paymaster 

of  Spy  Battalion  1831  31. 
Winnebagoes.  Attack  keel  boats 
19.  Visit  Captain  Lindsey  26. 
Attack  him  26,  27.  Gratiot' s 
visit  37.  At  Prairie  du  Chien 

141.  They   hold   a  talk  141. 
Treaty  of  1832         178-185. 

Winnebago  War  in  1827.  Men 
tioned  19.  Account  thereof 
26-29.  See  notes  200. 

Wisconsin.  Battle  of  the,  or 
battle  of  Wisconsin  Heights,  as 
it  is  many  times  called  109- 
114.  General  Atkinson's  re 
port  of  it  146,  147. 

Wisshick.      At    Bad  Axe    battle 

142.  At   Jefferson    Barracks 

'53- 

Woodbridge,  W.  W.  On  ex 
press  to  Atkinson  105,  116. 
From  Atkinson  1 1 7. 


224  INDEX 

Wren,  Johnson.      Elected  Major  Wyatt,  William.      Elected  Lieu- 

64.  tenant  Colonel                      65. 

Wright,  David.      Made  Quarter-  y 

master                                   3 *  •  Yellow  Banks.     Indians  arrive  at 

Wyatt,  Lieutenant  G.  F.      Men-  the       35,41.       Reached    by 

tioned                                     57.  Whiteside's  Brigade             41. 


PRINTED  FOR  THE  CAXTON  CLUB  BY 
R.  R.  DONNELLEY  &  SONS  COMPANY 
AT  THE  LAKESIDE  PRESS,  CHICAGO 


.33 

W2 

X 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


